Advice
Visit Retail Sector for advice, best practice, how to guides, and top tips for successful retailing, both on the high street and online. Retail Sector is your one-stop-shop for retail news, analysis, interviews, features and advice, keeping you in the picture.
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May- 2019 -7 May
Making lighting work for the modern fitting room experience
Despite the growing popularity of shopping online over visiting physical retail stores, the capacity to ‘try before you buy’ remains a key motivator for high street customers and is an experience e- commerce has yet to replicate. However, many of us find contact with public fitting rooms uncomfortable and less…
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3 May
Why progressive web apps are the future of mobile commerce
It’s no secret that, while bricks-and-mortar retail is on the decline, e-commerce has been steadily growing in popularity. In fact, between December 2008 and December 2018, internet sales increased from 5.8% to 20% of total retail sales in the UK. However, while most retailers now recognise the importance of investing…
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1 May
Can e-commerce save the high street?
According to PwC a record net 2,481 stores disappeared from the UK’s top 500 high streets in 2018 – 40% more than in 2017 – a worrying statistic for the future of the high street. Even the big retailers were not immune with Maplin, Toys R Us and Poundworld casualties…
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Apr- 2019 -30 April
Why DTC brand Harry’s needs to think like a publisher
Last week, direct-to-consumer (DTC) shaving brand Harry’s teamed up with Boots in a move to widen its distribution channels and routes to market. The idea isn’t new – I took a similar approach more than 20 years ago for Sky, distributing set top boxes and subscriptions through retail and shopping…
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25 April
In-house or outsource – the GNFR conundrum
The retail sector is undergoing unprecedented change and while this is bringing amazing opportunities in the customer experience space, it also means that budgets continue to be squeezed in the drive for operational efficiencies. Goods not for resale (GNFR) is an often-overlooked area of retail that when managed properly, offers…
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24 April
Making faux-neon signs work for modern retailers
It’s no secret that bricks and mortar businesses need to do all they can to stand out in the modern retail landscape. But how they achieve this is becoming harder to grasp, as consumer shopping habits and industry trends are increasingly difficult to predict. Supplying innovative and high-quality products is…
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23 April
Adding a personal touch to online retail experiences
As the retail sector advances through the digital shift, consumers are demanding speed, convenience and value for money as part and parcel of their shopping experiences. As a result, retailers are faced with the ever-growing challenge of delivering on complex customer requirements, while also maintaining the personal connection that has…
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18 April
Why brands should focus on the long game and not an Easter miracle
As we all look forward to the long Easter weekend, retailers will be particularly excited. Many of us will use one of our extra days of freedom to indulge in a little retail therapy – whether on or offline. But my advice to retailers and their marketers this Easter is…
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17 April
How retailers can make the most of gifting occasions this spring
Spring is a key sale-boosting period for the retail sector. Indeed, recent data suggests that Easter alone is worth almost £600m to retailers. That’s in addition to general ‘spring’ shopping occasions which are based around the start of a new season – for example, families looking to spring clean the…
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15 April
An opportunity for fashion retailers to shine
Almost everywhere we turn there are proclamations of retail doom, high street downfall and talk that things have never been so tough. Just last month, the fashion retailer Select announced that it was preparing to call in the administrators, putting 2,000 jobs at risk. However, there has also been some…
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