On ‘Radio Times:’ The decline, and future, of retail in America

Macy’s isn’t holding clearance sales for nothing.  The department store along with JC Penney and Sears has been shuttering stores as consumers choose the convenience of on-line shopping and for more than just clothes. Food, toiletries and other household items are conveniently arriving on people’s doorsteps. 

On Monday’s Radio Times, host Marty Moss-Coane was joined by Derek Thompson, senior editor at The Atlantic who predicts that self-driving cars will further upend the retail industry. Thompson calls these vehicles “real-estate” equating them with brick and mortar stores, but on wheels, and calling “streets, themselves, the ultimate real-estate.”

Marty was also joined by David Bell, marketing professor at Wharton, who delved into the future of retail.  He described research for “tactile sensing” in which consumers can put their hand in a glove connected to their computer to touch and feel items through the internet.

Listen to the full interview on Radio Times.