Inside Retail

MARCH 3, 2024

The 2024 Australian Retail Outlook is out now. This must-read resource is packed with exclusive insights from Inside Retail’s survey of retailers about their performance, plans and predictions for the year ahead; trend analyses and advice from industry experts; and interviews with leading retailers, including Ikea, Lush, Outland Denim, Milligram, and many more, about their growth strategies in 2024 and beyond.

Marketing 290

Marketing Customer Retention Returns Planning 290

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 18, 2024

Retailers have been eager to jump on the generative AI bandwagon: according to a new survey conducted by Salesforce and the Retail AI Council , retail executives estimate that 36% of their employees already are using generative AI today, with that figure projected to rise to 45% by 2025. Additionally, 93% of these retailers say they’re already using generative AI to support personalization of customer-facing communications like emails and product recommendations.

Store Operations 277

Store Operations Shopping Marketing Management 277

Retail Wire

MARCH 18, 2024

Walmart self-checkout lanes are possibly being reserved for select customers like Walmart+ subscribers and delivery drivers as part of an experimental phase where different methods are being tested.

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Checkout Shopping 279

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 18, 2024

Google wants a bigger piece of the traffic driven by retail media advertising. To start getting it, the tech company has launched a new offsite retail media solution in closed beta. Lowe’s has signed on to be one of the first retailers to test the solution for what will be the first offsite retail media offering from Lowe’s One Roof retail media network on Google Search and Shopping inventory, according to a blog post that will be published today, which Retail TouchPoints reviewed in advance.

Advertising 298

Advertising Management Promotions Shopping 298

Advertiser: ZoomInfo

Incorporating generative AI (gen AI) into your sales process can speed up your wins through improved efficiency, personalized customer interactions, and better informed decision- making. Gen AI is a game changer for busy salespeople and can reduce time-consuming tasks, such as customer research, note-taking, and writing emails, and provide insightful data analysis and recommendations.

Consumer

Retail Gazette

MARCH 4, 2024

Retailers are suffering from the longest dip in sales since the 2020 pandemic as consumers cut back for the fifth consecutive month. Like-for-like sales across fashion, homewares and lifestyle slipped 1.3% in February, according to new figures from accountancy firm BDO. Fashion was hit the hardest, with overall sales down 4.8% and instore sales plunging 8.2% last month.

Wholesale 145

Wholesale Fashion Accounting Consumer 145

Retail Focus

MARCH 6, 2024

The dynamics of storytelling in the volatile retail landscape have fundamentally changed and will shape our perception of the future. In this report in partnership with Retail Focus, James Breaks, Associate Director of Design at rpa: group , takes a close look into the past, present and future of our relationship with brands, and how we engage with them.

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ATS 277

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 14, 2024

Retailers that have recently launched their own retail media businesses should learn from what the established leaders already do. The biggest player, with 60% of the $45 billion market, is Amazon, followed by the likes of Walmart and Target, which, combined with a few other large players, are expected to take a combined 25% of the space, according to Boston Consulting Group.

Advertising 265

Advertising Consumer Marketing Management 265

Inside Retail

MARCH 11, 2024

While Australia has its own unique retail ecosystem, the ripples of what happens in the US often hit our shores. That typically includes the ‘Super Bowl of advertising’: the actual Super Bowl. Along with the usual celeb-studded ads, this year there was something else that made people take note. Chinese-based online marketplace Temu had not one, but two ads in the main game broadcast on CBS with a total of six ads during the game day.

Advertising 278

Advertising Marketing Consumer Returns 278

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 18, 2024

A 2022 U.S. government study found an annual average of 1.3 million nonfatal workplace violence incidents between 2015 and 2019. This is a rate of eight nonfatal violent crimes per 1,000 workers aged 16 or older. In addition to the safety risk to employees and customers alike, workplace violence incidents are costly to retailers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimates that workplace violence costs employers more than $120 billion annually in claims, litigation, added

Planning 274

Planning Loss Prevention Management Location 274

Retail Wire

MARCH 18, 2024

Tyson Foods, the well-known food processing company, finds itself in hot water as calls for a boycott surge due to allegations of planning to employ migrants at its factories.

Planning 340

Planning ATS 340

Speaker: Becky Parisotto and John Vurdelja

Fulfillment is no longer just about getting products from point A to point B – it's about crafting seamless, scalable, customer first experiences. Flexible fulfillment strategies are more important than ever for those aiming to stay ahead and build resilience as retail enters a new era in 2025. Learn how to optimize fulfillment processes, tackle complex, multi-vendor orders, and create seamless customer experiences – from white-glove delivery for high-value items to quick-ship solutions for ever

Fulfillment

Retail Focus

MARCH 21, 2024

A garden or outdoor space is somewhere to go to relax and unwind during the warmer months of the year, and during the colder months, we dream of all the improvements we can make once we’ve banished the frosts and snow. Anyone planning a garden overhaul in the next few weeks might want tips on how to add layers of extra privacy so that the space can be enjoyed fully.

Outdoor 246

Outdoor Planning ATS 246

Inside Retail

MARCH 21, 2024

Piercing retailer SkinKandy is expanding into New Zealand, with Westfield Riccarton in Christchurch as its first location in the country. “Exciting growth continues at SkinKandy. Our international growth journey starts with hoardings up at our first store locations in New Zealand, getting ready to bring the piercing revolution to the amazing people of Aotearoa,” SkinKandy CEO Dain Friis said.

Promotions 312

Promotions Location ATS Accessories 312

Retail Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, deeply embedded in health policy, has directed inquiries toward the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). His concern? Why the FDA didn't scrutinize Elon Musk's Neuralink before greenlighting human trials for its brain implants.

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Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 12, 2024

For a long time, the American public has hit the “mute” button about the dangers of too much corporate consolidation. One bit of evidence: a decades-long decline in the frequency of the word “monopoly” in published books from a peak in 1949, according to data from Google. But those attitudes appear to be changing, in some cases dramatically.

Marketing 297

Marketing Consumer Promotions ATS 297

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Customer Experience

Retail Wire

MARCH 21, 2024

Starbucks has surged past Subway to claim the title of the world’s second-largest restaurant chain.

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Inside Retail

MARCH 19, 2024

Selling online in the US can be lucrative, as many Australian retailers and brands are discovering. But there is a fine line between success and failure. Tara Daly, senior director of product marketing at Loop Returns , shares with Inside Retail advice on getting started in the US market, some tips on cross-border shipping and logistics – including managing returns in a way that builds customer loyalty – and how to drive repeat business.

Planning 290

Planning Shipping Returns Customer Retention 290

Inside Retail

MARCH 19, 2024

Godfreys will be closed down after its administrators failed to seal a favourable acquisition proposal for the collapsed vacuum retailer. PWC received 55 expressions of interest and six indicative offers during the sale process. However, some of the interested parties withdrew while the others did not provide a sufficient offer to secure the business in the long term.

Returns 290

Returns 290

Inside Retail

MARCH 13, 2024

Department store chain Myer has appointed non-executive director Olivia Wirth as CEO and executive chair, effective June 4. Wirth will succeed current CEO and MD John King, who will remain in his role until June 3 to facilitate the transition and handover. Previously, Wirth served as the CEO of Qantas Loyalty, where she worked for nearly 15 years. “Since joining the board last year, Olivia has demonstrated impressive commercial acumen and an acute understanding of the dynamics facing both Myer a

Department Stores 290

Department Stores ATS 290

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Inside Retail

MARCH 11, 2024

Credible reports suggest The Body Shop Australian business is facing a cashflow crisis as a result of the collapse of the UK parent company. The Body Shop operates about 100 stores in Australia and is said to be the most profitable international arm of the stricken business. However since the UK parent entered bankruptcy last month, the Australian subsidiary – and others around the world – have become creditors and their access to funds has been cut off.

Shopping 290

Shopping Accounting Management Marketing 290

Inside Retail

MARCH 15, 2024

Online florist and gift retailer Bloomex has been fined $1 million for making false and misleading representations on its website. The retailer admitted it had published misleading star ratings for its products, advertised misleading discounts, and added surcharges that were inadequately disclosed. According to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), Bloomex displayed products for sale on its website between February 2019 and March 2023 with a ‘star rating’ that remained sta

Advertising 288

Advertising Consumer ATS 288

Retail Wire

MARCH 8, 2024

After locking in loyal $1.50 hot dog-soda customers, Costco is on the hunt for a new market in precious metal collectors and investors.

Marketing 288

Marketing 288

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 20, 2024

Former Walmart exec and Jet.com founder Marc Lore and his newest company Wonder Group have raised $700 million from various investors to support its Vision, Capital and People (VCP) plan , which is designed to support the business’ execution and scale, Lore revealed in a LinkedIn post. The funding round was led by existing investors NEA, GV, Accel, Bain Capital Ventures, Forerunner, Alpine and Harmony — a who’s who in the venture capital world.

Location 285

Location Planning Promotions Customer Experience 285

Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System

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Accounting

Inside Retail

MARCH 26, 2024

Alquemie Group has appointed Scott Evans as its new Group CEO, succeeding Sacha Laing who is stepping down after five years in the role. Evans’s appointment is expected to take effect in June, while Laing will remain working at Alquemie until mid-April. Evans has spent the past 10 years as CEO and MD of Mosaic Brands, with Erica Berchtold recently announced as his successor.

Fashion 279

Fashion ATS 279

Inside Retail

MARCH 21, 2024

Coles has delivered its first ‘transformational store’ through the group’s store renewal program. Located within Chadstone shopping centre, the largest shopping centre in Australia, the tweaked design comes as Vicinity Group invests in making Chadstone a renowned food destination in addition to being known as the nation’s “fashion capital.” Coles’ senior design and innovation manager Pete Rose described the project as turning a “tired shop” into an “incredible” one for the Chadstone shoppe

Supermarket 278

Supermarket Beauty and Health Point of Sale Shopping 278

Retail Wire

MARCH 18, 2024

Due to a steep drop in discretionary spending by customers, JOANN, the 81-year-old fabric and craft retailer based in Ohio, has filed for bankruptcy.

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Consumer 279

Inside Retail

MARCH 18, 2024

Rntr has partnered with Australian fashion retailer Shona Joy to launch the first repair platform in Australia. Shona Joy will host a digital platform on its circular fashion website that encourages customers to extend the life of their items when it makes more sense than reselling them. According to the firms, there will be an easy-to-lodge process where clients may input their garment and repair needs before mailing their garment, with Shona Joy managing the entire process.

Fashion 278

Fashion Apparel Management Consumer 278

Advertiser: Experience Retail Today

I’m getting in touch with the news that fashion retailer, Gina Trictot, has achieved 98% inventory accuracy thanks to its partnership with SML RFID. Please see the full press release below, including exclusive quotes.

Fashion

Inside Retail

MARCH 19, 2024

KMD Brands says it expects significantly lower sales in the fiscal first half, reflecting weak consumer sentiment. The group forecasts sales to decline 14.5 per cent year over year to $434.2 million amid lower expected sales across all three brands. The company forecasts Rip Curl and Kathmandu’s sales to fall 9.2 per cent and 21.5 per cent, respectively.

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Consumer Visual Merchandising Wholesale Accounting 278

Inside Retail

MARCH 8, 2024

Bunnings has been named the most trusted brand for the year to December, dethroning Woolworths and ending the supermarket’s three-and-a-half-year dominance. Bunnings lost the title of Australia’s most trusted brand to Woolworths in May 2020. However, beginning October 2022, Bunnings has made a strong comeback, drawing the greatest increase in confidence among all those on the trusted brands list.

Supermarket 279

Supermarket 279

Retail Wire

MARCH 11, 2024

The pioneering vegan beauty brand closed their stores on March 1, 2024.

Shopping 279

Shopping 279

Inside Retail

MARCH 7, 2024

Spirit subscription service Liquor Loot has collapsed into administration as the company was reportedly struggling with cash flow. Liquor Loot and two related entities have appointed Jirsch Sutherland’s Andrew Spring and Trent Devine as joint administrators. An early assessment of the business suggests the retailer was facing challenges related to its cash flow, Spring told SmartCompany.

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Planning Consumer 279

Advertiser: ZoomInfo

In today’s ultra-competitive markets, it’s no longer enough to wait for buyers to show obvious signs of interest. Instead, sales teams must be proactive, identifying and acting on nuanced buyer behaviors — often before prospects are fully ready to make a purchase. In this eBook from ZoomInfo & Sell Better, learn 10 actionable ways to use these buyer signals to transform your sales strategy and close deals faster.

Planning