GROZEO GLOBAL HOLDINGS LIMITED

Across Europe and worldwide, brick-and-mortar retailers are under mounting pressure as e-commerce giants expand their dominance. In the EU, 77% of people aged 16–74 purchased goods or services online in 2024, compared to 59% in 2014 — a clear indication of the rapid shift in consumer behaviour. This shift has severely impacted local retailers, many of whom remain hesitant to adopt online business models due to five major barriers: complex technology that is difficult to implement, high capital investment needed to match global standards, limited product range compared to large marketplaces, delivery and logistics management challenges, and a lack of professional last-mile customer support. These obstacles threaten their survival, accelerate monopolistic control, and risk triggering a “retail apocalypse” that undermines local economies.

The way forward is to empower local retailers through a zero-CAPEX servitized ecosystem that allows them to experience online business instantly. By interconnecting merchants to retain neighbourhood customers, enabling automated drop-shipping to expand product variety, and integrating logistics with last-mile professional support, retailers can deliver a seamless selling experience without additional resources.

Central to this transformation is 'Glocalisation' — combining the global scale of digital commerce with the local trust and presence of neighbourhood retailers. By equipping small stores with global product access while promoting local visibility, this model ensures consumers get the convenience and variety of international platforms without losing the cultural and economic value of local businesses.

This session would explain the main barriers preventing small retailers from going digital and how servitized model, merchant interconnection, automated drop-shipping, integrated logistics, and glocalisation can empower them to compete effectively, sustain communities, and prevent a retail apocalypse.