The organization and the store are built from the customer perspective in, not the retailer perspective out. 

The shopping process is easy to understand, and customers have more control over the entire retail experience. 

Customer information is appropriately used, by both the retailer and by customers, to enhance the shopping experience. The shopping experience is tailored to different customer needs and shopping occasions.

The following four strategic imperatives:

1. Build an organization that defines a shoppingexperience that evolves withchanging customer expectations: Retailers need to build a dynamic organization that is aligned to listen to the customer so that it can continuously enhance and sustain customer satisfaction. This requires a commitment to innovate and experiment with new concepts and offerings.

2. Provide a truly convenient shoppingexperience: Stores need to be designed to create an environment that is easy to shop and provides customers with the necessary tools, information, and services needed to make an informed and confident purchase.

3. Develop an integrated view of the customer: Retailers need to achieve a foundational level of customer information integration that includes eliminating customer data silos and integrating fragmented pieces of data gathered across all customer touch points and channels. This level of integration allows retailers to deliver more seamless shopping experiences and also deliver more relevant offerings to customers.

4. Deliver a flexible product/service offering: Retailers need to be able to tailor their offerings to meet customer needs across different segments, local markets, shopping occasions and product categories. The store should be designed and operated with flexible options that allow customers to shop the way they want to shop.

Further, while it is critically important to embrace these imperatives, achieving an increased focus on the retail customer’s perspective requires retailers to focus on execution excellence throughout their organization.