Tomorrow’s successful brands will be defined by how proactively and nimbly they capitalise on change.

And not by the degree to which they depend on physical or online experiences, according to a research by marketing strategy consultancy Clear, with offices in cities including Singapore.

Clear says that as consumer behaviour and expectations continue to blur the line between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers, the distinction between the two models is no longer simple.

The research said e-commerce brands are outperforming traditional retail brands, however, the future will be characterised less as a battle between clicks and bricks, and more by the evolution from fulfilling transactional needs to service and experiential qualities.

“With the challenges presented by the rise of e-commerce, traditional retailers now have considerable opportunities,” said Peter Askew, executive director at Clear.

“If retailers are ready and able, they can turn that change into an advantage. Shoppers’ expectations have shifted. It is no longer about being good just in e-commerce or just in-store, it is now about combining the best of both worlds into one seamless experience.

“The focus is on how agile traditional retailers can become, so they are as responsive to real-time needs as their online counterparts, and as experiential as only they can be in shoppers’ real worlds,” he said.