Opinion time is the voice of retailers & retail industry figures, find out what they have to say here on Retail Times
Retailers need to collaborate with manufacturers to anticipate demand for products featured in consumer magazines and on social networks, argues Wayne Usie, senior vice president of retail, JDA Software Retailers are entering uncharted territory with consumers – the economy is
Figures from Defra showing UK households through away 17% of all food bought could be slashed if they opted for frozen equivalents instead, claims the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF). Commenting on the Department’s findings, Brian Young, director general of
1. Social commerce – merchants will become more in-tune with consumer social media activity and harness this to target customers with special offers, rewarding them for loyalty. For example, if a customer ‘likes’ a page on Facebook, merchants can identify a
Growth in supermarket expansion out of town will hurt town centres, according to the ACS (Association of Convenience Stores). New figures from commercial real estate adviser CB Richard Ellis show 80% of planned supermarket building will be out of town.
Richard Beattie, CEO at retail marketing promotions company, TCC Group, explores what the retail sector may look like in 2012 Looking ahead to 2012 – retailers, especially in the food industry worldwide, will be under increasing pressure to grow their
Mass marketing is no longer a viable option but few retailers are ready to embrace individual customer marketing, according to analytics firm, FICO. Martin Beasley, principal consultant in FICO’s retail practice, EMEA, explains why some retailers are ready but most are
Hamish Forbes, assistant in the real estate team at national law firm Dundas & Wilson, advises retailers on crowd control in the holiday shopping season The post-Christmas sales rush sees thousands of bargain hunters hit the shops. From a commercial
Web site hosting company, Hostway, has warned retailers risk losing significant revenue from missed Christmas and January sales if their IT infrastructure fails to cope with the sharp increases in traffic from mobile users downloading and using shopping applications. UK
The Mary Portas Review into the future of UK high streets, which proposes establishing Town Teams to improve operational management, empowered Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and affordable town centre parking, will not revitalise the high street, according to a leading
Richard Moore, head of international at mobile accessories company, Mobile Fun, on the dos and don’ts for successful online international expansion With online retailing still a growing sector in the UK, competition between retailers can be fierce – especially with
Internet security specialist and a leader in virus protection, G Data, has identified the most popular scams and provides tips for safely buying presents online With 73% of Brits shopping online this Christmas (source: EBAY), online criminals are taking advantage
As retailers everywhere get ready for the busy Christmas season, Roelant Prins, Adyen CCO, reveals several simple ways retailers can boost online sales 1. Send customers a personalised reminder Has someone been looking at a red blouse on your web
In a Retail Times exclusive, Russell Buckley, CMO of mobile marketing company, Eagle Eye, and chairman, Simon Burke, predict the top retail trends for 2012 1. More retailers will use the mobile phone as part of the full in-store experience
Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement announcement of £45m for UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will help get UK firms exporting, according to its chief executive Nick Baird. Some £10m of these funds will be used to target an extra 500
Retailers can empower their online customers and improve satisfaction by integrating direct feedback on their websites with web analytics, says Christian Bennefeld, CEO at etracker, a supplier of web optimisation software The online landscape has changed dramatically in the last
hosting providerOnline retailers are bracing themselves for a surge in shopping today, Cyber Monday, but they must deliver a good customer experience, internet experts warn. Kevin Flood, CEO of social shopping website Shopow, said: “The peak in online Christmas sales
Retail Times has teamed up with e-commerce software supplier, eSellerPro, to launch an e-surgery for online and multi-channel sellers. With Christmas just around the corner and the January sales and other key events hot on its heels, Keith Bird, CEO at
Electronic cigarette brand, E-Lites, is launching a new rechargeable product into the retail market and is going on sale in 20 Roadchef motorway service areas across the UK. Pitched as the most authentic tobacco alternative, with no tobacco, tar or
UK retailers are embracing the opportunity provided by Black Friday to launch sales promotions, according to social shopping website, Shopow. Shopow CEO, Kevin Flood, said: “Retailers that were desperately in need of a reversal of their fortunes have found they
In a Retail Times Q&A feature, Simon Gamble, co-founder and business development director at network security specialist, Mako Networks, looks at the role of Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) in relation to PCI DSS compliance and the difficulties retailers face ensuring they remain
Leveraging analytics helps marketers drive powerful, personalised marketing and build dynamic brands, claims John Squire, director of on demand digital analytics and marketing optimisation products for IBM’s Enterprise Marketing Management Group The explosion of personalised data now accessible to
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has returned to France with the opening of a flagship store on the country’s most prestigious shopping street, the Champs Elysees. The opening of the new store comes a month after M&S launched a dedicated French
Leading retail consultants have warned Black Friday (25 November 2011), traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US, does not translate so readily to the UK and retailers are taking a gamble if they slash prices too
Customer satisfaction surveys and mystery shopper provider, Retail Eyes, gives retailers five top service tips to boost sales this Christmas Tip 1: Stay calm at all times The busiest time of year for retailers is Christmas and having to deal
Jeremy Lune, head of retail at CLIC Sargent Cancer Care for Children, claims charity shops have a well-deserved and rightful place on Britain’s high streets Shopping expert, Mary Portas, has raised eyebrows with a proposal to limit the number of
