Opinion time is the voice of retailers & retail industry figures, find out what they have to say here on Retail Times
FMCG suppliers must be able to offer the most effective insights into category strategies and actionable plans if they are to compete with top multiple retailers, according to Bridgethorne, a category development, shopper marketing and customer management specialist. “As the
Supply chains will continue to adapt to the struggling European economy in 2013, according to leading end-to-end supply chain consultancy Crimson & Co. Richard Powell, Crimson & Co managing director, said the poor economy of 2012 has changed the way the supply
Al Rose, VP retail and internet properties at TELUS International, a provider of contact centre and customer care solutions to global clients, explores the top trends poised to impact retail customer service in 2013 It has been an interesting year for
William Chase, founder of the award-winning Chase Vodka brand and the new Williams Great British Extra Dry Gin, has lambasted small and large distilleries for promoting factory-produced spirits as homemade and accused mass marketers of conning consumers. Chase, whose idea
Matt Clark, director at UK management consultancy, Boxwood, on the opportunities and obstacles to international retail expansion Many UK retailers have already expanded extensively overseas and, if you listen to the press and pay attention to conference speeches, this is
Steve Rothwell, CEO of digital coupon provider, Eagle Eye, tells Retail Times what lies in store for the retail and hospitality industries over the next 12 months Retail predictions: 1. Mobile will become the lynchpin of loyalty Many brands and service
Rakuten, the world’s third largest e-commerce marketplace and owner of UK marketplace Rakuten’s Play.com, considers six key trends that will fuel e-commerce growth in 2013: 1) Bringing a personal touch to loyalty Some things in retail haven’t changed; the secret
Danielle Pinnington, managing director at shopper research company, Shoppercentric, considers how squeezed household budgets will impact shopping, catering and gifting this Christmas Christmas is the big celebration of the year, the chance to get together with family, and put worries
David Ware, director of grocery at grocery market and shopper intelligence consultancy, SymphonyIRI Group, considers the impact of minimum alcohol pricing on deep price promotions The Government’s proposed minimum pricing for sales of alcohol continues to cause controversy today. Many
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the Energy Secretary’s announcement today, calling on the Government to include local shops in plans to give customers fairer tariffs. In an energy select committee meeting, Ed Davey announced plans to
Chris Gates, director of retail at Hitachi Consulting UK, considers the trend to pop up stores and the retailer benefits and opportunities It has been reported one in six premises now stands empty across the UK, compared with just one in 20
Aligning promotion and production will be critical to ensure retailers’ festive season planning does not fall victim to the ‘golden quarter’ plights, claims Crimson & Co, a leading end-to-end supply chain consultancy. As the festive season creeps closer, organisations, especially those
Consumers hoping for early Christmas sales are likely to be disappointed this year, according to leading trade credit insurer Atradius. While early Christmas discounting to attract footfall has been a popular approach in recent years, Atradius predicts retailers will adopt
High street retailers must adapt to operating in a multi-channel environment in order to survive the current economic upheaval, according to Phil Duffy of global financial advisory and investment banking firm, Duff & Phelps. UK retail sales values grew last month boosted
Recovery is underway in the United States and the rest of the world, but the Chinese mainland’s economy could face difficulties over its investment-based model, according to Harvard University economist Lawrence Summers. In a recent interview with the Hong Kong
Visitor counting technology can provide the extra dimension in retail performance measurement, writes Neil Matthews, vice president at Checkpoint Systems Everyone that works in the retail industry knows just how competitive this environment is. High operating costs, rising consumer expectations
According to recent research, the digital economy has grown at a faster rate in the UK than any other G20 nation in recent years, fundamentally changing the way Britons shop and do business. With the consumer shift towards e-commerce showing
Adrian Hado, head of insight and analytics at rewards programme operator, Avios, says brands should use behavioural and transactional data more effectively to deliver meaningful and relevant customer rewards and drive loyalty In a challenging economic environment and a period of fierce
Chris Gates, director of retail at Hitachi Consulting UK, examines the potential of social commerce in the multi-channel retailing environment The explosion of social channels, such as Facebook, Pintrest and Twitter, means today’s consumers are connected, empowered and leading a
Retailers dan drive sales through social media, according to Hjalmar Winbladh, CEO of social gifting service, Wrapp, which allows users to send free and paid gift cards to friends using its mobile app or the web In recent years retailers have invested considerable
James Constant, managing director at energy comparison firm and website, Business Juice, and in-house expert at Energy Forecaster, offers retailers six top energy tips When running a retail business, managing costs and maintaining cash flow is vital, so your energy
Consumers want the same customer experience from online and offline shopping and retailers must deliver by ensuring their data strategy is in tune in order to provide a personalised shopping experience, says Martin Philpott, head of retail at information management services consultant, IMGROUP
Given the ongoing financial squeeze on many households, tolerance, convenience and security are now three critical issues of acute importance for retailers and e-commerce sites, claims Nick Mothershaw, director of identity and fraud at Experian The dilemma retailers face is
Smokers’ lobby group Forest claims the Australian court ruling in favour of plain tobacco packaging will not affect its campaign against similar legislation in the UK. Forest, which runs the Hands Off Our Packs campaign, says plain packaging is an
Mobile payments platform provider paythru claims the numerous solutions risk confusing consumers and hindering wide-scale adoption in the UK. Its warning folllows KPMG research, which claims mobile payments are set to reach £591bn by 2015; and the recent development of
