Wed.Jan 08, 2025

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Revolutionizing Retail: How Ergonomic Robots Enhance Shopping Experiences

Retail TouchPoints

Robots and automated technology are becoming a typical feature in the retail industry, with robots streamlining operations, reducing costs and improving customer experiences. From stocking shelves to guiding shoppers, robots are proving their value across various tasks. However, their effectiveness hinges on more than just advanced technology. With Amazon pulling back on their cashierless stores , we cannot depend on robots to completely take over the retail experience.

Shopping 179
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After the Christmas high comes the returns, here’s how to break the cycle

Inside Retail

Christmas and end-of-year sales are big business for retailers but they also drive enormous returns. The high volumes of unwanted gifts and remorseful sale purchases have implications beyond the bottom line the environmental impact of emissions, repackaging and damaged goods is becoming excessive. The Australia Institute projected an estimated $1 billion worth of unwanted Christmas gift waste in 2024, with 27 per cent of Australians expected to receive gifts they will not use.

Returns 276
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Ulta Taps Instacart for Same-Day Delivery

Retail TouchPoints

Ulta Beauty has teamed up with Instacart to offer same-day delivery from its more than 1,400 stores acrossthe U.S. in as fast as one hour. Instacart customers can now shop a wide selection of skin care, hair care, cosmetics, fragrances and wellness products from Ulta. The partnership also integrates Ulta Beauty Rewards into the Instacart app , allowing members to earn points on every Ulta Beauty purchase made via Instacart by linking their accounts through Ulta Beauty’s storefront.

Grocer 298
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12 Proven Customer Retention Strategies in Retail

RETAIL MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

In the world of retail, the importance of customer retention cannot be overstated. As businesses focus on attracting new customers, it’s equally crucial to invest in keeping existing ones. Retaining customers not only ensures consistent revenue but also fosters brand loyalty and advocacy. In this blog, we will explore proven customer retention strategies that retail businesses can implement to boost customer loyalty and long-term success. 1.

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Smart Tools & Strong Teams: A People-First Approach to AI in Sales

Speaker: Matt Sunshine, CEO at The Center for Sales Strategy

AI isn’t replacing salespeople—it’s empowering them. The most forward-thinking sales organizations are using AI to enhance human performance rather than eliminate it. From coaching and messaging to prospecting and pipeline accountability, artificial intelligence is giving managers and SDRs the new tools they need to work smarter, sell better, and close more.

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Runway launches Vhernier, bringing Milanese elegance to Vietnam 

Inside Retail

Vietnamese luxury multi-brand fashion retailer Runway has set its sights on the country’s growing interest in high-end jewellery, bringing contemporary Italian brand Vhernier to Vietnam. Located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, the Vhernier retail space inside Runway Rex Hotel faces the famous Nguyen Hue Street, neighbouring luxury houses including Burberry and Chanel.

Jewelry 130
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Sensible gifting took centre stage as consumers embraced practicality this Christmas

Retail Focus

This Christmas, UK shoppers showed a clear shift towards sensible spending, prioritising useful, practical gifts over luxury and indulgence. New data from leading eCommerce provider Visualsoft saw that while overall Christmas revenue dropped by 4% compared to 2023, average order value (AOV) rose by 21%, reflecting the growing impact of thoughtful shopping and retailer incentives.

Consumer 147

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Transforming Retail Execution with Store-Level Selling

Wiser

Navigating the complexities of retail execution demands innovative strategies that extend beyond conventional methods. The heart of effective retail execution lies not just in securing shelf space but in ensuring your brand strategically captures attention and drives sales. The Evolution of Store-Level Selling Traditionally, store-level selling has relied on the intuition and experience of field representatives.

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How Indian brand P-Tal aims to bring traditional cookware to global kitchens

Inside Retail

As author Stephen King once noted, Sooner or later, everything old is new again. One brand that epitomises this phrase is Indian cookware brand P-Tal. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Amritsar, Punjab, P-Tal was initially launched as a college project by co-founders Aditya Agrawal, Kirti Goel and Gaurav Garg to revive a neglected form of cookware craftsmanship.

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Mass brand premiumisation; a promising brand strategy?

Retail Focus

Ghalia BOUSTANI. Retail Consultant | Published author | Visiting lecturer Mass brand premiumisation has emerged as a pivotal trend in recent years, with brands striving to secure higher-value market segments while retaining their broad consumer appeal. This approach enables brands to boost profitability, elevate their image, and sustain growth in fiercely competitive markets.

Boutique 147
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Evolve Estates Acquires Retail and Leisure Space at Elephant Park

365 Retail

Evolve Estates , part of the property investment collective M Core, has announced its acquisition of 120,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space at Elephant Park, one of Londons flagship regeneration projects. The site, located in the historic Elephant & Castle area of Zone 1, was purchased from Lendlease and forms a key part of the mixed-use development delivered in partnership with Southwark Council.

ATS 64
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AI In The Aisles: The Executives Guide To Better In-Store Experiences

Speaker: Steve Worthy, MBA

The rapid rise of AI-powered displays, touchless technology, and sensory marketing is reshaping the future of in-store engagement. Yet for many retail executives, the real challenge is not identifying new tools - it is knowing which signals to trust, which inputs to prioritize, and how to architect decisions that elevate in-store leadership rather than dilute it.

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Missed the Return Window? Sell the Item on Poshmark

Retail TouchPoints

Poshmark has partnered with Loop Returns for a new program that will allow shoppers to sell unwanted items that they cant return to the original merchant, extending the life of these products and cutting return handling costs for retailers. When U.S. merchants that use Loop Returns enable this experience for their customers, shoppers initiating a return will see a Resell on Poshmark button next to items that arent eligible for a traditional return.

Returns 276
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Home Bargains owner pays himself £1bn as profits surge

Retail Gazette

Home Bargains billionaire owner has paid himself more than 1bn as the discount chains sales topped 4.2bn. Tom Morris, who owns 98% of TJ Morris, the firm behind the retailer, received the majority of the 1.22bn in dividends and asset distributions last year, CityAM reported. The payout came as pre-tax profits for Home Bargains surged 35% to 454.8m in the year to 30 June, up from 336.5m.

Location 126
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Malls’ New Success Strategy: Attracting Gen Zers Hungry for Social Contact

Retail TouchPoints

Malls are coming off the holiday season on a high. Despite years of stories about the demise of the shopping center, consumers ventured to the mall in droves to cross items off their shopping lists and enjoy the spirit of the season. For example, visits to indoor malls on Super Saturday (the last Saturday before Christmas, which fell on Dec. 21 in 2024) increased a whopping 177.1% compared to 2024s year-to-date daily average, according to foot traffic intelligence platform Placer.ai.

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Dalton Park Outlet celebrates record-breaking Christmas sales performance

A1 Retail

Dalton Park Outlet has delivered a stellar performance during the Christmas trading period, achieving significant year-on-year growth across key metrics and categories. With robust footfall and strong consumer demand, the outlet reported a remarkable +11.2 percent increase in Christmas week sales and a +10.4 percent uplift in transactions compared to the same period last year.

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New Research-Backed Strategies to Empower Managers as Culture & Engagement Leaders

Speaker: Beth Sunshine, SVP, Up Your Culture

When culture isn’t consistently lived out across the organization, engagement suffers—and it often starts with a disconnect at the top. In this session, Beth Sunshine, SVP of Up Your Culture at The Center for Sales Strategy, will reveal how HR and executive leaders can close the gap between vision and execution by equipping frontline and mid-level managers to become culture carriers.

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Live from New York: Saks Features Pop-Up Shop, Limited-Edition Merch for Saturday Night Live’s 50th

Retail TouchPoints

Saks Fifth Avenue is planning a range of activities to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of its neighbor Saturday Night Live (the show is filmed across the street from Saks 5 th Avenue flagship at 30 Rockefeller Plaza). In honor of the shows milestone birthday, Saks has rolled out an exclusive line of SNL merch via a dedicated landing page on its website and is planning two pop-up shop events as well as a special window installation.

Shopping 278
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Green fleet technology helps Currys reduce its fuel bill by more than £400,000 per year

A1 Retail

Currys plc has succeeded in reducing its annual fuel bill by more than 400,000 thanks to the successful adoption of Lightfoots in-cab driver coaching technology and rewards platform. Used across its fleet of 262 Ford Transits and 410 Iveco Dailys, telematics data captured by Lightfoot, compared during its blind to live trials, has shown that Currys has seen a 10.8 percent increase in MPG, a near 11 percentfall in CO 2 emissions and reductions in vehicle idling by five percent.

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In 2025, Changing Consumer Demand will Reshape the Supply Chain

Retail TouchPoints

According to Gartner, more than three-quarters of supply chain leaders are being asked to improve their customer experience (CX) strategies. A customer-centric approach to supply chain management is challenging; it requires a deep understanding of consumer expectations and behaviors, not just today but also for the foreseeable future. Luckily, many supply chain leaders are seeing early success in using automation to meet heightened customer expectations.

Consumer 279
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Nisa bolsters retail & sales leadership team with appointment of head of partnerships

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Nisa has announced the appointment of Paul Webster as head of partnerships, as part of its commitment in driving innovation and excellence within its strategic partner base. Joining from leading global food and beverage company, Pepsico, Paul has built an outstanding reputation for fostering collaborative partnerships and is a pivotal appointment as Nisa

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Breaking The Commerce Bottleneck: Your SAP Exit Plan Starts Now

Speaker: Jason Cottrell and Gireesh Sahukar

Retailers know the clock is ticking–legacy SAP Commerce support ends in 2026. Legacy platforms are becoming a liability burdened by complexity, rigidity, and mounting operational costs. But modernization isn’t just about swapping out systems, it’s about preparing for a future shaped by real-time interactions, AI powered buying assistants, and flexible commerce architecture.

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Carhartt WIP, Ronning, and Blackhorse Lane Ateliers Open New Soho Stores

365 Retail

Carhartt WIP , Ronning , and Blackhorse Lane Ateliers are the latest brands to enhance Sohos retail offering, with new store openings announced by Shaftesbury Capital. The lifestyle and apparel brands have joined the West End destination, further diversifying its mix of flagship and independent retailers. Carhartt WIP has relocated its flagship store to a larger 4,000 sq ft unit at 33-35 Brewer Street, moving from its previous location at 72-74 Brewer Street.

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Aldi to give away four years’ worth of shopping

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Supermarket Aldi is giving away a whopping 20,000 worth of vouchers, equivalent to four years worth of grocery shopping, as new research reveals it to be the cheapest supermarket for the fourth consecutive year.

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ProCook sales boosted by Black Friday and Christmas campaigns

Retail Gazette

ProCook reported a strong trading performance over the golden quarter. Sales for the kitchen specialist jumped 11.2% to 25.6m in the 12 weeks to 5 January, driven by a 12.4% rise in retail revenue to 16m. Online sales increased 9.2% to 9.6m, up 7.1% in like-for-like terms, which it attributed in part to sales from its relaunched Amazon UK marketplace.

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Groupement Mousquetaires prepares for rollout of AI-powered shrink reduction solution

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Faced with the growing challenges of the retail sector, Groupement Mousquetaires, a French retail group with brands like Intermarch, Netto and Bricomarch, plans to address fraud at its self-service checkouts with an AI-powered solution from Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE: DBD).

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Humans + Agents = Rethinking Enterprise Commerce with AI

AI agents already analyze trends, draft content, and trigger actions across leading commerce platforms. Yet most organizations still rely on workflows built for human‑only teams, losing speed, margin, and customer loyalty. Humans + Agents: Rethinking Enterprise Commerce in the Age of AI Collaboration shows how to close that gap. In one concise read you’ll see where agent gains surface first, how early adopters prove ROI, and which lean controls keep innovation moving without risking data or bran

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Millennials now outshop Gen Z on social media finds RTS research

A1 Retail

Despite Gen Z often being stereotyped as the TikTok generation, Millennials now outshop their younger consumer counterparts across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, according to the latest research by the Retail Technology Show (RTS). Original research of over 1,000 shoppers by RTS showed that on average Millennials made 21 purchases on TikTok in the last 12 months compared to the 20 items bought on the social platform by Gen Zers.Compared to Gen Z consumers, Millennials also made more purchases a

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ProCook sees store expansion drive growth, says GlobalData

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Following todays release of ProCooks figures for the 12 weeks ending 5th January 2025; Emily Scott, Retail Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view: ProCook delivered a strong performance in its Q3 FY2024/25, with revenue increasing by an impressive 11.2%.

ATS 40
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SportsShoes.com announces retail partnership with Vitality

A1 Retail

Online running shoes, running clothing and outdoor gear retailer SportsShoes.com has announced a new retail partnership with health and life insurer Vitality. SportsShoes.com is now available to Vitality members through the Vitality Programme the insurers behaviour change programme that rewards and incentivises Vitalitys 1.8m members to live healthier and more active lives.

Outdoor 105
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Nation’s breakfast habits revealed in Kellogg’s Big Breakfast Audit

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Changing morning routines have reshaped our breakfast habits, with a third (32%) now working during breakfast, combining meals with meetings or “Zoom and cereal” sessions. Some consider breakfast to be the ‘most important meal of the day’, fuelling the body and a chance for families to sit down together.But the traditional leisure

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5 Tips for a Winning Category Management Strategy in 2025

Category Management is a cornerstone of a successful retail strategy. While it promotes collaboration between manufacturers and retailers to optimize category performance, challenges persist in its effective implementation due to hurdles in communication and collaboration across teams and partners, and more. In this guide, we outline five essential strategies for success in 2025 that will touch on all the essential pieces of a successful strategy and implementation.

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True Religion Embarks on ‘Exciting New Chapter’ with New Owner

Retail TouchPoints

Acon Investments has purchased a controlling stake in the True Religion apparel brand for an undisclosed amount. The brand, which was founded in 2002, will continue to operate independently out of its headquarters in Gardena, Calif. The transaction is supported by new and continuing limited partners of Acon including SB360 Capital Partners , a Schottenstein affiliate and established apparel and retail investor.

Apparel 287
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Lidl has launched Spin to Win, giving one in 10 savvy shoppers a chance to win a £10 coupon via the Lidl Plus app

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! A spin-tastic start to the year!Lidl is kicking off 2025 by giving customers the chance to spin their way to exciting rewards, including a 10 Lidl Plus coupon. With one in every 10 shoppers winning a 10 coupon, and one spin per customer per day, shoppers can start the year right and add a little […] If you want more information Retail Times get in

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Specsavers, Mimco collaborate in eyewear collection

Inside Retail

Specsavers has collaborated with Mimco to launch an eyewear collection, which includes four optical frames and three sunglass styles. “ Working so closely with Mimco to create the new collection meant we were able to incorporate a range of unexpected and intricate design elements into the final frames that we know our customers love,” said Nelly Soleil, Specsavers head of frames. “Having launched our first collection in 2023, we are excited to see our second collaboration out i

ATS 147
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Black Sheep Coffee launches first mainstream functional lattes for gut, beauty and brain

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Black Sheep Coffee, the Robusta rebel of the coffee world, is kicking off the new year with a bold leap into the functional drinks space. The revolutionary new range is set to land in stores on 8th January 2025, marking a first for the mainstream coffee market.

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Cut Costs & Complexity: Smarter Fulfillment for Home, Furniture & DIY Brands

Late deliveries. Split shipments. Spiraling freight costs. For home, furniture, and DIY brands, fulfillment has never been more complex—or more critical. This report outlines how a smarter, AI-ready order management system (OMS) helps you reduce shipping costs, streamline project-based fulfillment, and ensure accurate inventory across every channel.