Transforming Jamaica's retail space — as told by Sterling Hawkins

• March 03 2019
• http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sunday-finance/transforming-jamaica-s-retail-space-%26%238212;_as_told_by_Sterling_Hawkins_158524

Retail used to be different when Sterling Hawkins was growing up in his family's supermarket — it was all about customers and the community. But Hawkins had a vision of transforming how people fulfilled their wants and needs.

In the minds of many, traditional retail was dead. But instead of wishing for the industry issues to go away, Hawkins knew that he had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and create a culture free to innovate at his family's store. Hawkins empowered his team to use technology to unify experiences and redefine retail.

Today, a fifth-generation retailer and still very active in retail innovation, Hawkins has worked with the likes of Stanford, Cornell and the University of Texas to create the future of commerce.

An avid believer that entrepreneurship and innovation are the greatest enablers of economic growth and development, Hawkins evaluates more than 1,000 innovative technologies annually, aimed at transforming the global retail industry to shape emerging technologies such as robots, drones and artificial intelligence.

Living at the intersection of in-store, online and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Hawkins is actively shaping the future in a number of global markets by helping others create and respond to innovation in a way that betters businesses, communities, and the human condition.

How does an organisation anticipate the needs of, engage with and adapt to a customer base that doesn't yet realise the changes they'll desire?

The future of work, commerce and retail will look very different from what we see today. Companies in Jamaica and the Caribbean must prepare for transformation and innovate to become or remain globally competitive.