Pendant des décennies, les retailers ont tenté de résoudre ces contradictions par un ciblage plus précis et un positionnement plus clair. Ils résolvaient la mauvaise équation.
Le véritable enjeu, comme l’a mis en lumière Shoptalk Barcelone en juin, n’est pas de supprimer la complexité des comportements consommateurs, mais d’apprendre à la maîtriser. En trois jours de conférences, des dirigeants venus d’enseignes aussi diverses que le groupe espagnol Tendam ou le grand magasin britannique Harrods ont esquissé une nouvelle vision du retail : l’avantage concurrentiel ne réside plus dans la simplification, mais dans la capacité à proposer une offre hyper-personnalisée et pertinente sur plusieurs niveaux.
L'explosion de la complexité
L'ampleur de ce défi est immense. Les recherches présentées lors de la conférence ont montré que 44 % des consommateurs européens essaient régulièrement de nouvelles marques tout en affirmant leur préférence pour la fidélité. Les cycles de découverte des produits se sont accélérés de 300 % tandis que le temps de réflexion avant l'achat a simultanément augmenté. Les comportements traditionnels en période de récession ne s'appliquent plus : les consommateurs augmentent leurs dépenses sur les articles coûteux tout en réduisant les dépenses discrétionnaires.
Dans l'industrie de la beauté, les cycles de vie des produits sont passés de cinq ans à un mois en 30 ans. Flaconi, e-commerce beauté allemand, a constaté que seuls 30% de la demande future provient des données historiques, le reste étant lié aux comportements en temps réel et aux influences externes.
En trois ans, Flaconi a réduit ses stocks problématiques de 28 % à 3 % - désormais le meilleur taux du secteur - en pratiquant le commerce de la complexité plutôt qu'en luttant contre la multiplicité des consommateurs.
L'expertise augmentée par l'humain
Instead of replacing human expertise with AI, successful retailers are using it to augment human capabilities:
-
Manor Switzerland implemented conversational analytics that allow business users to “chat with their data,” automatically generating SQL queries while human experts interpret insights.
-
LVMH created an “AI Factory” with more than 40 algorithms shared across its 75 luxury brands, yet the company maintains a “human-centered, human-in-the-loop” philosophy.
-
Most tellingly, Harrods reports that telephone sales generate 2.5 times more revenue than ecommerce because human expertise creates value digital channels can’t replicate.
“We’ve realized that you should never just use one model,” said Nicolas Kröger, Manor’s Chief Digital Transformation Officer. “It’s a chain of models combining their individual strengths that makes the use cases truly powerful.”
The key is knowing when each approach adds value.
Retail metamorphosis
The organizational implications are profound. Ayla Ziz, Danone’s Chief Customer Officer, estimated that “50% of current jobs will be obsolete within five years” — not due to automation, but because understanding complex consumer behavior requires fundamentally new skillsets.
Companies are embracing cross-functional initiatives, dismantling silos and aligning teams around customer outcomes. Canada Goose is a prime example. The company redefined retail roles as brand ambassadors who test products in extreme environments and educate customers about polar bear conservation. These experiences lead to measurable conversion gains.
Similarly, Harrods has mastered “emotional service stories,” forging lifetime customer relationships through meaningful problem-solving. The result: Harrods sells 50% of all UK fragrances over £150.
Data orchestration at scale
Sophisticated data strategies underpin this shift.
Spanish retailer Tendam moved customers from an annual spend of €27 (non-loyalty) to €188 (omnichannel users) by shifting from brand silos to customer segments and integrating 26 million loyalty members across 240-plus brands.
Mars Snacking, drawing on 134 years of checkout merchandising expertise, now applies impulse psychology to create “TikTokified” digital transaction zones.
Consumer packaged goods companies are navigating similar terrain. Diageo reports digital channels influence 48% of total sales despite accounting for just 5% of direct transactions, due to regulatory restrictions. This prompted the spirits giant to invest in sophisticated attribution modeling focused on influence over conversion — crucial as AI agents begin to make autonomous purchases.
The orchestration dividend
The early signs are promising:
-
Tendam now attributes 75% of sales to loyalty members while expanding across multiple markets.
-
Rituals opened one new store daily while growing online revenue to 20% of the total.
-
Mars Snacking posted three straight years of double-digit growth — what its president calls “brilliant execution over innovation novelty.”
Still, challenges persist. Orchestrating multiple strategies at once demands new leadership models and faster decision-making. Tech integration must support architectures that evolve with shifting consumer behavior.
Most importantly, it requires letting go of the illusion that consumer behavior can ever be made fully predictable.
The complexity advantage
Retailers in Barcelona were wrestling with a broader truth: In an age of information abundance, human behavior becomes more layered, not less. Brands that master complexity commerce and develop sophisticated strategies for complex consumers are discovering tremendous new advantages. They’re learning how to make complexity profitable.
The goal is no longer to simplify consumers, but to serve them in all their contradictions.
In a world where customers are simultaneously loyal and experimental, sustainable and indulgent, premium-seeking and price-conscious, success will belong to those equipped to turn complexity into competitive edge.
The future of retail is strategically multifaceted.
Pascal Malotti leads Valtech’s global retail strategy. To learn more about how you can turn retail complexity into a competitive advantage, reach out to Pascal or visit our Retail page.
