2020: the year where open banking and card linked tracking advance customer personalisation
Ben Stirling, MD of Webloyalty, the provider of market-leading reward platforms
Articles in category: Comment
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.
Experian: why data accuracy is silver bullet in race to omni-channel shopping
Bricks-and-mortar retailers have barely seen a week pass by in the last few years without another bad news story hitting the headlines. Stagnant high streets, currency fluctuations, political uncertainty, stuttering consumer confidence, CVAs, disruptive competitors – you name it, retailers
The high street has a new future and AI will inform the next decade, predicts Symphony RetailAI
Symphony RetailAI forecasts a significant transformation for physical stores, a complementary working-alliance between man and machine, and a much-needed reduction in food waste – along with two additional predictions for the roaring 2020s.
Right in the feels: how emotional engagement drives brand loyalty
Emotional engagement is much more important than you may realize. Recent studies have found that when asked to think of a specific product, 86% of consumers first mention products of brands they are emotionally engaged with. In fact, studies have
Online security company gives retailers five ways to keep their customers safe this shopping season
Online security company, Infoblox, have outlined five steps for retailers to protect themselves and keep their customers safe online this shopping season
How can independent retailers turn physical stores into genuine destinations?
Every couple of months, there’s another story proclaiming that the time is nigh for physical stores - a recent report actually revealed that Britain’s high street lost more than 2,400 shops last year. Yet, new store openings are seen to
Vend retail trends and predictions 2020
2020 is almost here, and if you’re in retail, you’re likely wondering what the next 12 months will bring. For me, there are three key trends to watch.
MD of Webloyalty sounds the death knell for Black Friday
Ben Stirling, managing director, of Webloyalty, the provider of market-leading reward platforms, sounds the death knell for Black Friday: “Consumers should enjoy the Black Friday deals while they can because as it stands, the model is not sustainable for British
Don’t let Black Friday turn into blackout Friday – five top tips for e-commerce success from Varnish Software
Black Friday – the mere utterance of these words can either make excited shoppers froth at the mouth or send shivers up the virtual spines of online brands who aren’t prepared for one of the busiest shopping days of the
Supply and demand: the business case for full transparency
The expectations on companies to be transparent about their ways of working are greater than ever before. Nowhere more so than in the area of supply chain management. In our globalized economy, how businesses outsource as well as purchase
How to make your online holiday shop sparkle – and sell
As retailers ready themselves for the busiest time of the year, many will leverage a variety of newer technologies to boost engagement with today’s digital savvy shoppers. And despite some analysts forecasting 2019 sales to remain relatively flat, according to
Just when you thought you had it nailed, your media strategy was out of date the next day…or was it?
So you spent your money on the “best” media money could buy, to reach the audience that you “learned” was the target audience for your brand, yet the return on investment (ROI) isn’t what you expected?
Four key ways marketing will shift in 2020
As Q4 begins and the end of 2019 quickly approaches, many marketers are looking ahead to 2020. Allocating budgets is a challenge when so much in this fast-moving industry is still unknown. Will Google surprise SEO specialists with sweeping new
Brexit uncertainty forcing supermarket suppliers to stockpile to meet customer demands, says Duff & Phelps
Despite the Brexit deadline looming ever closer, most of us are still in the dark as to how the UK will leave the European Union (EU). According to Duff & Phelps, the global advisor that protects, restores and maximises value
Marketing trends to watch for in 2020
As 2019 comes to a close, we've got our eye on the marketing trends to watch for in the new year. New technology, new uses of social media, and new ways that people communicate and connect will all define marketing
In my opinion: has the time come for retailers to evolve into media brands?
In the turbulent and ever-changing retail sector, there is one thing which is certain. Playing the same game you always have is going to get you nowhere. In an increasingly data-driven world, the champions of retail in the future will
Why retail needs to bring online service in-line with in-store experience
As 21.7% of the world’s population – that’s 2.14 billion people – are expected to buy online by 2021, the CEO of a global luxury packaging company has said there needs to be a ‘synergy’ between e-commerce and in-store packaging
Could the gambling industry ever become 100% virtual?
The latest figures show that online gambling is now the largest gambling sector in Britain, with 39% of all gambling taking place virtually last year.
From big box to small box retailing – what Boxpark can teach the high street
Something is emerging in the old industrial areas, an exciting idea that is challenging the High Street and injecting the fun back into retail. The exact opposite of big box retailing, Boxpark, a food and retail park made out of
From top to bottom: converting from the upper funnel
The toughest part of attracting new clients to a business is initially getting them in the door or onto a website. According to Marketo, 96 percent of first-time visitors to a site won’t buy at that time. But that doesn’t
Changes in consumer demand are driving innovation in retail
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
How to maximize experiential marketing initiatives
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: is it right for your business?
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
Any free ports in an EU storm? Boris’s No 10 speech introduces radical new tax-free zone plans, says ParcelHero
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
No-deal Brexit would inflict ‘mortal damage’ on UK food and drink, FDF tells next PM, Boris Johnson
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
