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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Jul- 2018 -25 July
The data-value exchange: customer data in a post-GDPR world
With GDPR now law, the way brands justify, capture and retain their customer data has changed. The disastrous ‘end-of-the-world’ scenario that was drummed into us over the last twelve months hasn’t materialised for brands who are already taking care of their customer data. Instead, for the first time, data capture…
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24 July
The evolution of sustainability in retail
Alongside beauty, many other retailers are now coming under the microscope when it comes to sustainability and environmental issues. There’s no doubt that sustainability is a hot topic but, for various reasons, many retailers are lagging behind. Firstly, why should retailers pay attention to sustainability? Other than ethical reasons, like…
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23 July
Why Poundworld’s failure to differentiate from other discounters led to high street demise
Poundworld, which is set to disappear from the UK high street by early August 2018, must look to its own failures and in particular its failure to stand out from other discounters. It is easy to assume that the higher supply costs stemming from Brexit, ferocious competition amongst discounters and…
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23 July
Differentiating data, analytics and the insights that Direct-to-Consumer can provide to CPG’s
So, you’re considering going direct to consumer (D2C)? Or you’ve already embarked on the journey and are looking to maximise the value of the incremental data and insights D2C can provide? let’s take a look at some of the differentiating analytics and insights we can create. I once asked the…
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20 July
How to adapt to multi-channel sales
Consumers’ expectations have evolved over the last decade. Having an online store is no longer seen as optional and is now a necessity to meet customer demands. Customers are wanting the ability to shop seamlessly anywhere, at anytime, and across any device. Next day delivery has too become an expectation…
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19 July
Does in-store technology provide the answers for retailers?
Like many other industries, retail has experienced rapid changes due to evolving innovation in technology. Customer expectations have changed too, and traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers are now expected to integrate all these technological advances into their core shopping experience. We have seen the traditional fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) retailers quickly…
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18 July
Ten ways to outperform 2017’s Black Friday retail success
It may be a relatively recent entry in the UK retail calendar, but Black Friday looks set to take the country by storm this November. In 2017 spending was up 8% and transaction numbers a sizeable 32%. For retailers who get their strategy right, 2018 is an opportunity to generate…
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17 July
The future of contact centres in retail
We are all familiar with contact centres; they are the places we call when we feel unhappy with, confused or annoyed by a brand, or when we need information about a product or service. Recently, technology has given us more ways than ever to contact these helpful people — even…
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16 July
Waking up to the opportunity of digital signage
Against a backdrop of declining footfall in retail, it’s hardly surprising that we’re starting to see more innovative approaches from retailers looking to drawing in customers. And one such tactic is the rise in the number of retailers opting for digital screens to lure in shoppers. A great case in…
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12 July
The end of the high street as we know it?
A week doesn’t go by without another retailer hitting the headlines. M&S, Poundworld, Carphone Warehouse, Mothercare and House of Fraser have all recently announced store closures, rocking the already fragile high street. The dominance of online shopping has been cited by many as the reason for the closures, with…
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