CIO OPINION
CIO opinion
“
THE MODERN,
SUCCESSFUL AND
STRATEGIC CIO REQUIRES
A DIFFERENT MINDSET
TO THE TRADITIONAL
HELPDESK-FOCUSED CIO.
/////////////////
Simon Weeks, CEO of Maginus
The evolving role
of the retail CIO:
Key to keeping retail
doors open
Intelligent CIO Europe hears
from Simon Weeks, CEO of
Maginus, who gives his opinion
on the developing role of
the Retail CIO and how they
can evolve and keep up with
the digitised consumer retail
experience of today.
O
nline shopping is booming and is working towards becoming
more popular than shopping in-store. The British Retail
Consortium has identified that since around 2014 and 2016, in-
store year-on-year sales growth has been dramatically declining, whilst
the online penetration rate steadily grows. For example, online sales of
non-food products has nearly doubled over the past five years (owning
just 11.6% of the market in December 2012 and up to 24.1% in
December 2017). This huge change in the retail landscape has required
a monumental shift in the thinking and strategy of C-Level Executives in
retail organisations.
As this sector continues to battle to keep up with the online revolution,
studies have found that the Retail CIO continues to take a back seat role
focused on running the IT infrastructure and helpdesk. However, in an
environment now dominated by technology, the CIO must shift their
focus to that of ‘business enabler’ so that they use their unique digital
expertise to power forward-thinking business strategy and innovation.
This article will look into the evolving role of the Retail CIO and what
they can do to help supercharge a more digital-first business by
influencing strategy. This can help solidify their role as a member of the
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