The Christmas trading period may have officially started for the UK’s major supermarkets (from w/c 17 November 2014) but the sales increases that the festive period usually brings are so far this year nowhere to be seen for most of the
InPost, the send, collect and return parcel locker service, has revealed research highlighting half of UK shoppers (50%) are set to switch to larger retailers for gifts as we get closer to Christmas, a trend that is particularly pronounced amongst
Overall shop prices reported deflation for the nineteenth consecutive month, unchanged at 1.9% in November, according to November’s BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index. Food reported annual deflation for the first time since the series began in December 2006, falling 0.2% in November. Both
Spending on Christmas food and drink is set to be worth £20bn this year, which represents growth of 1.2% compared to last year when £19.7bn was spent, according to the IGD. Decline of the big Christmas shop Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD
As Black Friday heralds the beginning of the annual Christmas shopping rush, data from Worldpay reveals Britain’s department stores – the flagships of British retail – can expect to double their takings this weekend, with stores in the North of England set to benefit
Az Ahmed, retail marketing expert at SmartFocus, shares some valuable Christmas shopping insights. Ahmed helps to build intelligent solutions for some of the world’s largest brands – including Nestle, Mercedes and House of Fraser. SmartFocus’s marketing solutions take the guesswork out of marketing and help
As one of the biggest shopping weekends of 2014 approaches, leading online retailer Argos is predicting a UK mobile shopping frenzy this year with more visits than ever to its website and apps on Cyber Monday coming from shoppers using smartphones and
FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, reports it is gearing up for the busiest day across Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa (EMEA) in the history of the company. The busiest day for shipments
The latest results from the IMRG MetaPack Delivery Index (reporting on October 2014) confirms earlier predictions that 2014 will see a record number of parcels carried by the UK’s online logistics industry, culminating with the busiest ever Christmas. According to the Delivery Index, UK
Vouchers, discount codes and loyalty points top the list of the nation’s top tips for saving money at Christmas, with just over half (52%) of UK adults using them to cut the cost of celebrating the festive season, according to
Market leading shopping centre owner intu reports it is anticipating a busy Christmas period and strong footfall. With two thirds of the UK population within 45 minutes’ drive of its 18 centres, the FTSE100 company said it is in a
Hermes, the consumer delivery specialist, reports it has seen a large number of retailers sign-up to its new free app service, which has been designed to enhance the customer delivery experience during the peak season and improve customer satisfaction. Online
Christmas is not the most important season for the majority of retailers to engage in affiliate marketing activity, according to new research. The study, carried out by performance management agency R.O.EYE, surveyed prominent retailers across the fashion, travel, gaming, finance and
Rynhardt Hanekom, cross-border trade manager at ChannelAdvisor, on how online expansion can help retailers to capitalise on Christmas trading November has come, the clocks are set back and merchandise seems to be multiplying at most retail locations. We are in
UK shoppers are set to spend a record £74.3bn in the run-up to Christmas, with almost one in four pounds expected to be spent online, according to research commissioned by RetailMeNot, the digital offer marketplace and operator of VoucherCodes.co.uk. The study, conducted by
Despite Christmas being the season of price wars, a leading sales training organisation has warned sales leaders and their teams to steer clear of high street style price cutting and instead adhere to the principles of value selling if they
Homebase has unveiled a brand new campaign that aims to bring to life the magic of transforming your home at Christmas. The new 30 second Homebase ad, written by Leo Burnett and produced by Hogarth Worldwide, shows a family changing
Parcel delivery company DPD claims an extended Sunday service, one hour timeslot deliveries and real-time communication between drivers and parcel recipients are going to be key in at Christmas. DPD, which has just been voted the top delivery company in the UK by
A new research report examining changing shopper behaviour and spending plans has been launched today by Shoppercentric, a leading independent shopper research agency. The report, entitled: “WindowOn…Spending habits” surveyed more than 1,000 UK shoppers aged 18+ and reveals that changes
As long queues, disappearing stock and impersonal service cause tensions to boil over on the high street during the annual festive shopping spree, research by Worldpay, the UK’s leading payments processor, reveals just under a third of UK Christmas shoppers have
UK SME online retailers are planning to start their Christmas promotions this week – a week earlier than last year – as they prepare to win their share of festive sales, according to research by Royal Mail. The study of over 300
The NPD Group, a global information company, has unveiled the British toy market’s year to date sales performance, as well as anticipated Christmas trends to coincide with the Dream Toys event in London. According to retail sales data from The NPD
The MetaPack Group, a leading provider of e-commerce technology delivery services, today announced the findings of new research into the impact of delivery on customer experience. Conducted by Research Now, the findings reveal that 59% of consumers are less likely or
UK online merchants are expected to export a record £153m worth of items this Christmas to online buyers all over the world, according the latest data from eBay.co.uk. Between the end of October, to the middle of December, eBay merchants in the
Westfield claims it is set to challenge traditional Christmas messaging with the launch of its 2014 proposition, ‘The Christmas Before Christmas’ – a campaign that celebrates the joy and excitement of the whole festive period and not just Christmas Day. Released
