Thursday, April 2, 2015

Coming Soon: Physical Retail & Community Center Disruption. Innovation: What Will It Look Like in 1000 Years?

Meme: Physical Human Exchange Communities...were always built around in-person trading/exchange of goods, food, services, entertainment/celebration, spiritual experiences. What now? Innovation Central... Someone will "get" this opportunity.

Coming Soon: Biggest transformation in the next decade may be the evolution of a new form of Physical Retail human community experiences. Is it linked to consciousness and communication technology? Or to human evolution?

Happening now: General economic degeneration/closing/withering of many locally owned unique stores, and this was followed by closing department stores and chain stores, and then "shopping centers" and malls; emptier movie theaters and theatrical events, even sports events -- as entertainment is at home and available income too low for them. Church and spiritual experience, traditional or new age, attendance dwindling...

Only Apple Stores or places to have technology repaired seem to have lots of people around and lines. Why did Apple want to buy college bookstores that Borders abandoned, not cut back their retail. Are they onto something about the physical gathering places for technology exploration, of the future?

Of course there are bars/alcohol (marijuana) or related establishments, Restaurants -- and Grocery/Produce stores with frozen & perishables --  but they too are down in customers compared to the past -- too expensive, you can buy groceries online -- and there's a lack of disposable income, yet they do better than other local retail. But no real change in the Human Experience of the grocery store or restaurant, etc. Will the future be just 3D printing, (can't print food...), selling or buying on Amazon or Ebay or Etsy or Craigslist -- or?

Something new may be coming: AND IT MAY HAVE TO DO WITH LOCAL GATHERING AND COMMUNITY -- Community exchanges, trading centers, for free, meet ups, local impromptu entertainment. It may be good for local emergency centers as well, related to volatile weather, etc.


Distribution mechanisms for local small biz sellers and entrepreneurs are still antiquated and expensive.  Innovation Opportunity? Saw an article when Ebay was first in China that people tended to meet in person to do the transaction. Interesting -- and a clue to the future?

Can we create & embrace new Human Interaction Public Spaces/Exchanges? Will we have Community Exchanges? Trading Posts? Permanent Farmers/Goods Markets? Like the Public Market that I went to as a child in Weatherford, TX that's still there. Farmer's Markets are becoming bigger attractions as we want healthier food. Senior Centers are becoming bigger attractions as we have a lot more older citizens living longer and wanting to learn. What shall we do with all the school buidings closing?

To be "ahead of the curve" in Innovation: Become the Innovator who creates new Human Exchange Community/Retail Experiences: 
Write out a 1000 Year Business Plan for physical retail stores and community gathering places. See if this mental higher intelligence focus gives you ideas for new product/public space innovation NOW.  
What if Farmer's Markets (healthy local food/crafts) expanded become Arts & Crafts & Goods Exchanges, too? Even Trading Centers including "for free" stuff (empty out those storage units!) Also places for what were once mom-and-pop product creators to sell, as well as artists, musicians, etc.

What if there were Twitter or Facebook meeting centers? With related apps on physical display? Booths with learning? Meet up centers.

Everything won't be sold online or printable. Humans crave meeting places -- but they have to be IN A NEW PARADIGM. Humans aren't responding to the Old Retail.

3D Printing? There may be a backlash about toxic materials & 3D Printers in the home--if you're going to print furniture, do you want toxic or carcinogenic flame retardant & other synthetic chemicals burgeoning? Healthy food is going to be printed.

Technology Transformation & Geological Transformation = Disruption of Human Community/Gathering/Exchanging = Innovation.

But entrepreneurs (and their investors) -- and most of us as consumers -- are thinking short-term convenience, -- not 1000 Year Earth Business Plan that's sustainable. There are 7 billion people now and resources are dwindling--water becoming an issue.

If the solution becomes colonies and teraforming on other planets: How will we build Human Community Exchanges there? What's our model? We have deserts HERE, ripe for transformation. Why not teraform that?  But in every town and location, there is a center of local physical retail: And that's what's also ripe for new teraforming by innovators who do want a healthy, green, non-toxic local gathering place and products. What will this look like?

Innovation Inspiration: The 1000 Year Business Plan: Write Now, Right Now. Become the 1000 Year Legacy Entrepreneur.

S.H. Rodman - @SHRodman on Twitter.

Sandra Hudlow Rodman

The 1000 Year Life Coach - 425-214-2926 

(c) 2015 S.H. Rodman. Photo/Art Credits: iStockPhoto and S.H. Rodman
#Innovation #Creativity #Business #Brain #Mind