Comment
Comment features expert perspectives and thought leadership from across the UK retail industry. This section includes opinion pieces, analysis, and commentary from senior retail executives, analysts, and sector specialists on the commercial, strategic, and operational forces shaping retail. Retail Sector’s Comment coverage explores issues such as consumer behaviour shifts, technology adoption, sustainability, regulation, and leadership — providing retail professionals with authoritative insight to inform decision-making and strategic planning.
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Jan- 2018 -18 January
Why a business plan isn’t enough – 7 steps to a successful ecommerce strategy
For retailers with an online presence looking to grow year-on-year, an ambition to scale or even an overall business plan isn’t enough. It’s absolutely vital to have a well worked through e-commerce strategy in place. Here are the steps to take to nail your ecommerce plan. 1. Begin with what…
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17 January
The five retail trends that almost certainly, probably won’t happen in 2018
As we begin the new year, many experts are offering their predictions for the retail industry. However, I think it’s important to provide a unique take on the well-tread predictions pieces with five hotly-tipped trends that won’t actually come to pass in 2018 Social commerce becomes the dominant sales channel…
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16 January
Hackers and POS systems – how to stay safe
Targeting Point of Sale (POS) devices has become one of the more preferred approaches for attackers over the years as they seek to exploit any known vulnerability. The latest POS attack to make the headlines was of course the data breach suffered by major American retailers Forever 21 after malware…
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9 January
Great expectations: what consumer demands mean for final mile delivery
Those of us in the logistics industry know that,when it comes to parcel deliveries, expectations for quicker services is constantly increasing. In 2016 industry experts predicted a rise in consumer demand for quicker and easier delivery solutions. The Consumer Expectations Study from IBM found that, when choosing whether to buy…
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Nov- 2017 -23 November
Energy – far more than a retailer’s ‘impulse buy’
Recent research has suggested that some £300m worth of energy is being wasted across the UK retail sector. As major energy consumers, retailers have had a tough fight on their hands to balance the challenges of delivering to customers on an increasingly multi-channel and 24/7 basis while also keeping costs…
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21 November
Black Friday: Don’t forget your returns strategy
As we head towards Black Friday, retailers are once again fully focussed on what will be the biggest UK shopping period of the year. With analysts predicting that consumers will spend in excess of £7 billion over Black Friday week in 2017, retailers can be forgiven for adopting a ‘stack ‘em high and ship ‘em…
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20 November
How small retailers can survive the bumper sales weekend
Last year, UK shoppers set new records; with total sales on the Friday reaching £1.23 billion, a 12.2% increase on 2015, and while it has proven to be a success for some big-name retailers – last year John Lewis saw five orders placed every second, beating expectations – not all retailers are…
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