Analysis
-
Jul- 2019 -8 July
Why customers want to feel what they’re buying
While it may be convenient, browsing for items on a phone screen isn’t everything. In an increasingly connected world, where 66% of people suffer from nomophobia – the fear of being without your phone – brick-and-mortar spaces are making a comeback as locations where shoppers can physically experience a product.…
Read More » -
2 July
How to make the most of empty retail spaces
Earlier in this month, The Times reported that the number of vacant shops on UK high streets rose by more than 7,500 last year, fuelled in part by store closures from large retailers such as Mothercare, New Look and House of Fraser. Debenhams then announced that it will downsize at…
Read More » -
2 July
Who will lead the high street resurrection?
We may never know what Nietzsche thought of the UK retail sector. However, with today’s troubles, there is a good chance that he may well have felt the need to update his famous quote; ”the high street is dead… and we have killed it.” Walk down any UK high street…
Read More » -
Jun- 2019 -21 June
Why ‘out of town’ retailers still matter
In May, we saw the Treasury committee report recommend that banks maintain a physical presence around the country and Dave Lewis, Tesco CEO, discussing the contentious issue of business rates and how the current system doesn’t support growth, to which I completely agree. Pressure is bearing down on the high…
Read More » -
17 June
How retailers can use cloud computing to drive sales
Cloud computing can sometimes be misconstrued as a toolset only to be used by system integrators and software engineers. But that view is now out of date – Cloud technology is transforming marketing as we know it, and it is becoming the basic toolset for all marketers today. At its…
Read More » -
14 June
The future of till-free shopping
When we’re used to hauling our shopping out of the basket and placing tins, packets and bottles on a conveyor belt or self-checkout counter, it’s going to be a little strange getting used to being waved through by a security guard without any interaction at the checkout. This vision of…
Read More » -
May- 2019 -24 May
Pivoting on experience to revive the UK high-street
It’s no secret that it’s a troubling time for the UK high-street. The recent news that Boots might be considering store closures globally following “its most difficult quarter” since the retailer’s formation is the latest brushstroke of a much larger picture. Global Data, the market research firm, points the reason…
Read More » -
23 May
How a data-driven locally optimised digital strategy can save high street retailers
In a challenging environment on the high street, it is vital for retailers to optimise their digital marketing to attract local shoppers. Yet many big-name brands are failing in the attention to detail needed to properly promote their physical stores in online advertising. Some have paid the ultimate price. Recent…
Read More » -
22 May
Is retail cashing out on PoS?
Last month saw Sainsbury launch the UK’s first till-free store, with its Holborn Circus store in London undergoing a complete refurbishment to remove the checkout area and tills. The three-month trial at the store, where 82% of transactions were cashless prior to the start of the trial, allows shoppers to…
Read More » -
16 May
The state of the UK high street in 2019
We may only be in the first half of the 2019 but there has already been a continuation of 2018’s disastrous year for the UK high street. In recent weeks we’ve seen Debenhams slide into administration with other household names like fashion retailer Select and off-license group Oddbins both close…
Read More »
