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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Aug- 2018 -24 August
How can physical retailers out-convenience the online giants?
With the likes of Amazon and other online giants seemingly dominating the landscape and creating challenges for physical retailers, there is a fear amongst brick and mortar retailers that they cannot compete with these major brands. This is reflected in almost 650 UK high street stores having closed – or…
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23 August
Taking the uncertainty out of the customer experience
In an age of GDPR and with the increasing threat of fraud, customers don’t just need to trust retailers to store their data securely – this is a standard expectation. They need to trust that retailers understand the pain points they encounter and can find solutions that make their lives…
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22 August
The four pillars of expert customer service in fashion retail
According to the Business of Fashion report, fashion retailers face three main challenges in 2018. First, they’re facing economic challenges caused by global competition and the increase in adoptions of new technology. Second, they’re operating in a world where customers are constantly connected and expect a seamless service across all…
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21 August
How AI can help retailers strike balance between availability and waste
The consumer of today expects a wide range of products and instant availability when shopping in physical stores, however they are also becoming more aware of sustainability and conscious of waste all the way from the farm to the fork. The challenge of being able to offer outstanding availability, whilst…
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20 August
Is your omnichannel strategy costing or saving you money?
For retailers that operate both online and physical stores, an ongoing challenge is to find a way to compete directly with online-only competitors. The latter has increasingly been flexing their muscles as traditional High Street chains come under more and more financial pressure, leading to some high-profile collapses and reshuffles…
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17 August
The Top Retail Benefits of SD-WAN Implementation
Organisations striving to compete in today’s highly competitive retail environment are doing so through digital transformation. Today’s customers expect retailers to combine the convenience of online shopping with tangible in-store experiences and to facilitate this, retailers are exploring a wide range of in-store technologies. From free Wi-Fi to digital signage,…
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16 August
How the theory of evolution will be the difference-maker for retailers
An estimated 9,500 retail shops are due to close this year and according to The Centre for Retail Research, 20,000 store jobs are set to disappear by 2020 – on top of the 150,000 that have gone since 2016. And that’s just in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe, closures aren’t…
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15 August
Defining the ‘global opportunity’ for retailers
As online spending continues to soar, the opportunities available to merchants are endless. In fact, market research predicts that global digital payments will surpass $3.3 trillion this year alone. The rise of digital wallets and ecosystems is proving to be a game-changing trend for retailers, opening the door to swathes…
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14 August
How to combat growing in-store queues
Recent research from cloud-based platform Qudini reveals that long queues are the largest turn-off for shoppers. Consequently, UK retailers are losing up to £12bn per year with customers becoming frustrated with waiting times, and therefore leaving the store without purchasing. Assuming there’s enough appeal there in the first place to…
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13 August
Going global: Why expanding into new markets isn’t just for the giant brands
Evolving technology continues to make the world a smaller place, and the opportunity for expansion beckons to those daring enough to dip their toes into the global market. However, in many cases, these markets are dominated by major international brands – leaving little room for competition. In the minds of…
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