The comment column is for retail professionals to have their say. Whether responding to published opinion, reacting to or challenging reports or commenting on retail trends and predictions this is where you can gauge sentiment on all sorts of retail focussed topics.
Despite well-publicised struggles for high street stores, the UK retail industry registered over £380 billion in sales in 2018, which represented a third of all consumer spending and 5% of the country’s total GDP. Regardless of the negative headlines, it’s
More and more, companies are working on ways to get their marketing initiatives off the page or screen and into the real world, to create opportunities for people to interact with their brand up close. Effective experiential marketing causes a
Experiential marketing, also known as engagement marketing, is a hot topic in the modern marketing industry. Companies and brands are looking to create brand loyalty through experiences that breed trust and inspiration in consumers rather than gaining attention through
Britain’s new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is likely to create six new free ports with low or zero taxes if Britain leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October 31, claims the international parcel price comparison site ParcelHero. It
Responding to the announcement of Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP as the new UK Prime Minister, Ian Wright CBE, FDF chief executive said: "The UK's largest manufacturing sector, food and drink, is central to our critical national infrastructure. The industry
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become a fixture in the British retail calendar, and a much-needed boost to sales. As we pass the halfway point of 2019, Claranet has urged retailers to start preparing, stress-testing, and optimising their infrastructure
In order to run a successful business, two things need to be considered. One, the costs of running, and two, the cash flow that will support this. As you’re adding up the costs, you may be surprised at the different
The chances are that you have already experienced a moderate amount of success if you happen to own a retail-based website. Not only are these business models extremely flexible, but the capability of connecting with a massive virtual audience signifies
A pop-up store isn’t just a temporary place for you to sell your goods. It’s a chance for you to create buzz around your business and to spread your brand’s message far and wide. That’s why you need to create
Ten years ago, a research paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” was published, under the pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto. The paper outlined a format for a radical new digital currency called Bitcoin, created by marrying computer science, distributed systems,
You could reasonably describe social media as the "connective tissue" of the internet. It swiftly delivers content about your brand to consumers, who then might go on to share that content or seek out further information about your brand. It's
Today, it is vital for the retail industry to adapt according to changes in shopping habits, and key trends of consumers. To meet these consumer demands, businesses are dependent on developments in technology and print to maintain high levels of
Boarded up windows, closing-down sales and a huge growth in e-commerce retail has seen the UK’s high streets continue to suffer in recent years. Although there are many factors to consider when assessing why some shops fail and others thrive,
The so-called decline of the Great British high street has been widely discussed for a while now, with the retail sector suffering adversely as a result of Brexit uncertainty and the growing dominance of ecommerce channels. In fact, the former
In the digital age, your business should not only have a social media presence, but also a strategy built around the use of social media. However, your company might not have the kind of scale to reach a lot of
There is more pressure now than ever to build a supply chain that is as efficient and responsive as possible – but is it possible to achieve both?
April’s ONS retail statistics show overall sales down 0.3% against March, with High Street department stores sales shrinking 0.7%. But in a rare glimpse of hope, their online sales soared 12.4%
The CBI has responded to a speech by Theresa May, setting out a timetable for her departure as UK Prime Minister.
On the 20 May, the Tobacco Products Directive came into force; initially affecting the manufacture, distribution and sale of cigarettes and roll your own tobacco . Products will not be allowed into the market, if they are not uniquely serialised
Two fifths of UK adults say that eating healthily is of high importance to them and 47% of consumers claim they are trying to reduce their fat intake therefore it is important that caterers think about introducing healthier ingredients into
Summer festivals and outdoor events are an amazing opportunity to get your brand noticed and to have face-to-face interactions with customers that help them build a meaningful relationship with your brand.
The spring sunshine came as a pleasant surprise to British consumers last week, who were out in force and driving double-digit growth for pubs and restaurants nationwide.
Does your e-commerce website appear in Google search engine results? Are search engines driving sales to your website? If you do not have an online presence that is noticed by your target audience, how will you ever get ahead? Do
By Andrew Witkin, founder and president, StickerYou No matter what you’re selling, you should be making storytelling an important part of your brand. Stories are an ingrained part of who we are as human beings, something we have been doing
On the list of marketing priorities, unboxing often comes last. But it shouldn’t. The unboxing experience can be a powerful way to reach consumers and engage with them in a meaningful way, leaving a positive impression that they may share
