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Let's make sure that we're doing the simple things well. I grew up in an environment where progress in computer and science technology saw radical advances on an almost weekly basis, and as a result things were hard to keep track of.
Also hard to ignore at the time were the gadgets, gizmos and ideas that these improvements brought with them.
As a result I was an avid reader, (although thankfully never really a purchaser of what was inside) of the small, free supplements that appeared in the weekly papers, which highlighted all the 'innovations' that we could seemingly not do without in our lives.
These innovations were frequently branded as revolutionary, and it took me a while to realise that there was a reason that our houses weren't crammed to the rafters with small, but what I now know to be relatively pointless, gadgets.
What's my point? Well, flicking through a similar magazine recently brought to mind the pages of gadgets that I used to flick through. At the time, my assumption was that, it is safe to say that new ideas are always a welcome addition to our lives.
But the point with new ideas is that very few of them can really redefine the way in which we see the world, or radically alter how we go about our daily or weekly routines.
My point then concerns, unsurprisingly, the retail markets of the Middle East. With so many new developments that are being planned, one of the major issues that I don't necessarily feel is being addressed is that of simplicity, and making sure that as retailers and retail operators we continue to do the simple things well.
Currently there seems to be a real trend (from a development point of view) of wanting to do things a little bit differently, and although not necessarily reinventing the wheel, there are certainly many ideas and plans out there that want to try and be alternative, new, different and offering a very obvious alternative to what I would consider to the norm.
However as we move forward, there is something to bear in mind that runs true for all successful retailers, and it is the fact that they all manage to do the simple things well, they understand their customers and they know how to deliver those simple things effectively and on a frequent and timely basis.
What I'm really questioning, therefore, is whether the retail markets in the region really need to continue to attempt to offer these market "gadgets", new ideas or concepts?
Or should they be more interested in making sure that with the simple things are in place, which will guarantee that they are as successful in 15-20 years time as they are now.
Overcomplicating an idea is to invite disaster if the customers don't necessarily understand what it is that a developer is trying to achieve. Likewise consumers tend to feel alienated if a retailer is trying to hard to be appealing by offering mixed product or brand messages.
Successful retailers don't appear overnight and as a result, instead of looking for new ideas, I feel that as a long term goal there's a strong argument to support the need for us to concentrate on potentialising our opportunities now, by making sure that we continue to do the simple things right.
The writer is Head of GRMC Retail Services, Dubai.
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