Read the case study below and answer the questions that follow.

The retail landscape looks quite different today than it did even ten years ago. The way that consumers make purchasing decisions has dramatically altered. They stand in stores, using their smartphones to compare prices and product reviews; family and friends instantly weigh in on shopping decisions via social media; and when they are ready to buy, an ever-growing list of online retailers deliver products directly to them, sometimes on the same day.

These shifts have led many industry observers to forecast the end of retail as we know it. Some predict that retail will change more in the next five years than it has over the past century and that the extinction of brick-and-mortar stores is not far off. Our view is less dramatic, but we do believe that big changes are inevitable and that retailers must act now to win in the long term.

There is a historical precedent for this kind of upheaval, which recasts the industrys winners and losers. Within the past century, local corner stores gave way to department stores and supermarkets, then to suburban shopping malls, then to discount chains and big-box retailers. Each of these shifts unfolded faster than the one that preceded it, and each elevated new companies over incumbents.

Drawing on our research and experience working with companies across the retail sector, we believe that five trends will have a significant impact on the industry: demographic changes, multichannel and mobile commerce, personalised marketing, the distribution revolution, and emerging retail business models. Each trend is powerful on its own, and collectively they will redefine what it takes to be a successful retailer.

Q.3.1 Based on the case study above, answer all the questions. How crucial do you believe it is for a store in the modern digital era to have a strong online brand identification and marketing plan?

In addition to the question above, discuss how retailers can use stakeholders' analysis:

a) To shape and prioritise their marketing plans? And

b) To develop richer relationships with customers?