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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Sep- 2022 -9 September
Socially conscious consumers can be targeted with better UX
Sustainability may have a new focus: the carbon footprint of digital retailers. In response to the pandemic, more and more brands turned to e-commerce, which now makes up one-fifth of all purchases. On paper, this shift appears positive: less physical footfall and fewer trips to the high street in cars.…
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8 September
Why supply chain resilience is critical to retail survival
Between product and material shortages, soaring shipping costs and ongoing inflation, retailers are currently battling a number of supply chain challenges that may cripple their profitability, and overall business, if left unchecked. Indeed, recent research from Brightpearl suggests that more than a quarter of retailers (26%) may be just four weeks from going bust…
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6 September
The other benefit of disposing of ‘best before’ dates on produce
There has been a race among major UK supermarkets to see which can hit their sustainability targets the quickest. Most recently, their sights have been set on scrapping the ‘best before’ dates on fresh produce in order to allow customers to choose for themselves when they think the produce is…
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Aug- 2022 -30 August
Why the fashion industry is edging into beauty
Fashion brands have always been intertwined with the beauty industry as they historically benefitted from the same demographic of female consumers. Luxury fashion brands such as Valentino, Giorgio Armani and Saint Laurent have been selling cosmetics since the 60s and 70s, with most finding a niche in producing luxury scents…
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23 August
Retail Crisis: Why mountains of excess inventory and overselling is set to kill off many promising businesses
Remember the early days of the pandemic? The never-before-seen surge in online shopping meant retailers were overwhelmed with demand. Locked down consumers, desperate for a distraction, scrambled for everything from at-home fitness equipment and games consoles to gazebos and scatter cushions – and warehouses were cleared of stock, as supply…
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23 August
Do staff cuts really help in a recession?
The European fashion retailer, Zalando, has predicted a return to growth of up to 3% in H2 despite a 58% profit drop during Q2, which reportedly brought the company’s operating profit down to £64.7m from £153.3m in the same period last year. In light of these results, and in spite…
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17 August
PepsiCo martech leader unveils game-changing retail marketing strategies
To remain competitive in today’s signal-saturated world, retail marketers need to deliver relevant, personalised content throughout the customer journey. According to a new eConsultancy report, in partnership with Cheetah Digital, entitled 2022 Digital Consumer Trends Index: Consumer Attitudes and Trends in Personalisation, Privacy, Messaging, Advertising and Brand Loyalty, UK consumers…
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17 August
Mobile marketing trends and opportunities for UK retailers in 2022
Smartphones are often the first thing people check in the morning and the last thing they touch at night. In the UK, it’s estimated that people spend an average of four hours every day clicking, tapping, swiping, and watching on their mobile devices – that’s at least a quarter of…
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16 August
Staff satisfaction should be top of Amazon’s agenda
Amazon has been making plenty of headlines recently, with news of its recent Q2 financial results depicting a net loss of £1.6bn in spite of a 7% increase in sales. However, out of all the Amazon-related news circulating, its current battle with unions and the company’s refusal to offer staff…
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16 August
What your TikTok Shop should look like
TikTok isn’t just a social media dynamo among consumers in their teens, 20s and 30s, it’s fast becoming a retail powerhouse too. Research shows that 44% of global users discover products from brand videos and more than a third buy something they see on it. It’s become an effective targeting…
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