NATIONAL: Consumers could soon give traditional designers a run for their money when it comes to product design, an industry report has claimed.
Ragtrader has been given an exclusive preview of Retail 2020, a major research project conducted by the Australian Centre for Retail Studies (ACRS) involving over 30 senior directors at companies across Australia and New Zealand.
According to ACRS research fellow Sean Sands, who interviewed Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes and Australian Retailers Association director Richard Evans as part of the report, consumers could expect to have greater input in the design of products in the future.
He said online channels had begun to provide the perfect medium for collaboration. International fashion brands such as Exuve, Ryz and Threadless were among those creating collections based on designs submitted through online portals.
Exuve users could submit drawings, illustrations and descriptions for judgement online, with the most popular designs then entered into production. Winners were rewarded with a cash payment, a gift certificate and five per cent of net revenue royalties through exuve.com and its affiliated retailers.
Sands said Australian brands had yet to fully harness the power of online portals.
"In the local market, it is very much 'early days' and we expect a great deal of improvement in coming years. With companies like these, it is not hard to imagine a future where product designers and retailers no longer exist per se, replaced instead by the prolific and eager hordes of creative consumers with online channels providing the perfect medium for collaboration."
Sands said breakthroughs were also underway in the exchange of digital consumer reviews and product comparisons. Mobile application ShopSavvy allowed American consumers to locate competitive deals by using their phone's camera to scan product barcodes.
"The application will then find the best prices for online and local retailers, allowing them to make a decision about where to purchase. A key challenge for retailers is summed up well by one respondent that questions how retailers cut into the emerging networks of consumers and become a part of the fabric of this new society."
He noted some companies had begun to invest in 'online community' departments to collect, monitor and participate in discussions and even test product ideas through websites, blogs and social networking sites.
Retail 2020 would be published and released through the ACRS next month.