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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Dec- 2019 -19 December
How technology can help retail marketers create happy consumers
Shopping online during Black Friday/Cyber Monday, over the busy Christmas period, and in the January sales (yep, they’re still a thing!) can be akin to rummaging through a jumble sale. In order to find relevant content, many shoppers have to rifle through a mass of promotional offers on different sections…
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18 December
Returns and fraud – two key issues for e-commerce in 2020
While returns continue to be a fact of life for retailers for a number of reasons, one area they can control is in having accurate customer address data. This will play a key role in reducing the frequency of ‘return to sender’ scenarios. The issue today is the reliance by…
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18 December
Vera Lynn’s gin dispute is a window on a fascinating trademark problem
Everyone knows a bit of cockney rhyming slang, but what if your own name is the one being used, and then somebody tries to use it as their brand? This is exactly what happened to the singer Dame Vera Lynn, who has just been awarded £1,800 in legal costs from…
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17 December
‘Jingle bots’ are artificially ramming online shopping baskets to use up stock
I have my reservations about this story because we spend a lot of time in our office poring over the news for interesting stories and takes, and we haven’t seen it reported like this before. But it comes from a company called Radware, which is a publicly traded web app…
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17 December
Why shoppers want simple sustainability
The Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping spike is putting packaging into perspective for shoppers and creating demand for simple sustainability. Retailers should strive to deliver quick and clear eco messages when it comes to packaging. Going green Sustainability has repeatedly hit the headlines again this year and we can…
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16 December
The latest business data is bad news, but the reasons given spell a good omen
This morning there was some bad news for business, but which definitely comes with a silver lining. So, the bad news first: the ‘Flash UK Composite Output Index’ from data firm, Markit, which tracks private sector business activity, found that it shrunk during the month of December. It has dropped…
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13 December
The election is over – time for the Tories to deliver for small businesses
It now looks as though political stasis and all the damage that does to business will be lifted in 2020. Boris Johnson’s victory in the election is the Tories’ strongest since the Thatcher era, and gives him great scope to implement bold policies. At this juncture it’s worth taking a…
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13 December
Should retailers be banking on the concept store?
Pop-up and concept stores could be key to boosting profitability over the festive season and throughout the year ahead, allowing businesses to take advantage of growing appetite for experiential retail, particularly at key trading periods. But are these agile stores likely to stick around or is it a case of…
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12 December
2020 retail predictions
Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning skills gap Retailers have been recognising the huge value Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can bring to their supply chains, whether for forecasting demand, setting prices or anticipating disruption. However, the challenges in 2020 will be ensuring they have the in-house skills to take advantage…
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12 December
Businesses are sitting on £115bn and waiting to splurge
Goldman Sachs thinks money will pour into UK stocks and shares after this election, but it’s at least partly because they suspect a Tory victory. Regardless of which side of the Brexit divide you are on, there is one thing that’s for certain: business has been extremely cautious about the…
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