Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 6, 2025

The re-emergence of tariffs on the global trade horizon has once again thrust the retail industry into uncertainty. While policymakers often champion tariffs as a mechanism to protect domestic industries, their ripple effects are far-reaching, inflating costs, disrupting supply chains and, ultimately, burdening consumers. As retailers brace for this looming economic shift, learning from past experiences and implementing forward-thinking strategies is paramount to mitigating risk and seizing oppo

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 7, 2025

In todays competitive retail landscape, creating a memorable brand image and ensuring smooth operations are more crucial than ever. One often-overlooked but highly effective way to accomplish both of these objectives is by implementing branded workwear for retail staff. From enhancing professionalism to boosting brand recognition, branded uniforms provide a range of benefits that positively impact both employees and customers.

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RETAIL MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

JANUARY 8, 2025

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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Inside Retail

JANUARY 5, 2025

If 2024 was all about pop-ups , in 2025, it would appear that retailers are leaning into third spaces. The concept was originally coined by American sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 book, The Great Good Place , and refers to places beyond work and home where people gather and connect. However, as Nick Gray, founder of the Australian-based retail consultant agency I Got You, observed, the concept has been increasingly adopted by brands amidst the closure of public third places, heightened by

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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

Wiser

JANUARY 6, 2025

When operating in a highly competitive space, every dollar counts. For one ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage brand, missing key opportunities to optimize their shelf presence could have resulted in significant losses. By leveraging Wisers Retail Intelligence, they not only mitigated these risks but also recovered $1 million in losses. The Challenge: Missed Opportunities on the Shelf Competition for shelf space is fierce.

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Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 8, 2025

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.

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Inside Retail

JANUARY 8, 2025

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.

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 7, 2025

Aldi is set to continue its expansion in Scotland, confirming today it plans to invest more than 40m over the next two years, opening three new stores in Arbroath, Baillieston and Kirkintilloch in 2025. The investment supports the retailers growth ambitions north of the border and will allow it to keep up with growing consumer demand. In 2024, Aldi celebrated 30 years in Scotland, having opened its first store in Kilmarnock in 1994.

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Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 9, 2025

Barnes & Noble will open approximately 60 stores this year, according to reporting in the Financial Times (FT). The retailer, owned by Elliott Investment Management along with the UK bookseller Waterstones , opened 57 stores in the U.S. and 12 in the UK last year. The retailer currently operates 650 stores. Waterstones Managing Director James Daunt, who also leads Barnes & Noble, told FT that last year represented a really significant expansion, and that the company plans to do that or m

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Retail Wire

JANUARY 8, 2025

Cracker Barrel is heating up this winter with delicious new menu offerings.

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Speaker: Becky Parisotto

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

Inside Retail

JANUARY 8, 2025

Australian retail sales saw significant year-on-year increase in November, largely attributed to the Black Friday sales. “Black Friday sales events proved once again to be a big hit, with widespread discounting and higher spending across all retail industries,” said Robert Ewing, head of business statistics at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). “The popularity of Black Friday sales continues to grow with promotional activity now stretching across the entire month of Nov

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 8, 2025

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.

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Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 9, 2025

Want to enjoy the best of the outdoors without, you know, actually going outside? Then the recently opened London flagship of The North Face is the place for you. The retailer, working with Mood Media , has created an experiential retail location equipped with a large-scale LED visual wall displaying curated content, carefully chosen music and even a custom fragrance, White Pepperwood, carrying the scent of the outdoors through the air.

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Retail Wire

JANUARY 10, 2025

Panda Express has an updated menu.

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Customer Experience

Inside Retail

JANUARY 6, 2025

Amazon, the $2 trillion gorilla, arrived on our shores officially in December 2017, just in time for Christmas. And some seven years on, much to the dismay of retailers, it is now starting to shake the tree and become a real force in the market , as Australian shoppers increasingly turn to alternatives to manage the cost-of-living crisis. Amazon announced it posted over $3.1 billion in sales revenue (across cloud, advertising and marketplace sales) in calendar year 2023, up from $2.63 billion in

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 6, 2025

Pricer , the leading in-store automation andcommunication solutions provider, has announced its availability on Google Cloud Marketplace, allowing retailers to quickly deploy and seamlessly integrate Pricers ESLsolutions within their Google Cloud engagement as part of their digital transformation strategies for their store networks. Google Cloud Marketplace offers a universal catalogue of solutions, both from Google Cloud and its certified best-in-class technology partners, which help enterprise

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Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 10, 2025

Retail research and advisory firm Coresight Research has teamed up with NextRivet a digital innovation consultancy that specializes in retail real estate to launch CoreRivet , a new consultancy aimed at offering retail and real estate executives more client-centric advice and services around technology and other implementations. CoreRivet aims to combine Coresight Researchs expertise in market intelligence and digital strategy with NextRivets track record in digital innovation and implementati

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Retail Wire

JANUARY 10, 2025

Target shoppers are looking for more organic produce options than ever.

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Inside Retail

JANUARY 5, 2025

Woolworths and Coles, Australias supermarket goliaths, have gone from Covid-19 heroes to cost-of-living villains in the last two years. Two of the nations major employers, with a combined workforce of 320,000 staff and about a 66 per cent share of the grocery market, Woolworths and Coles endured a 2024 they would no doubt rather forget. There has, of course, been political and media scrutiny of the supermarket sector in the past but in 2024, Australias two largest retailers were caught in a poli

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 8, 2025

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.

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Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 7, 2025

With the holiday season out of the way, next to come is a wave of returns that will stretch into the new year. Given the heightened focus on return policies during this period, it is an opportune time for customer fulfillment leaders to raise awareness within their organizations about a persistent challenge confronting retailers: the rise in retail returns fraud.

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Retail Wire

JANUARY 10, 2025

Macy's is set to close 66 stores across 22 states nationwide in 2025.

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Advertiser: ZoomInfo

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Planning

Inside Retail

JANUARY 6, 2025

Shein is scaling its adoption of Cool Transfer Denim Printing technology by 90 per cent to boost sustainability in denim production. This method implemented in 2021 in partnership with NTX significantly reduces water and energy consumption while streamlining the manufacturing process. Last year, approximately 380,000 pieces of Shein denim apparel were made using Cool Transfer Denim Printing, saving more than 10,000 metric tonnes of water compared to traditional production methods.

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 6, 2025

Holland & Barrett joined The Langham Estate at 146/148 Oxford Street on 20 December, relocating from 52 Oxford Street as part of its strategic expansion on the famous shopping thoroughfare. The deal takes the 11.3-acre Estates total ground floor retail to 87.5% let, with a number of further deals in progress as demand for prime retail space in the West End continues.

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Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 7, 2025

Ulta Beauty CEO Dave Kimbell will retire as CEO after 11 years with the company. Kecia Steelman, current President and COO, has been named as his successor, effective immediately. Steelman will now serve as President and CEO as well as joining the beauty retailers board, with Kimbell staying on in an advisory role through June 28, 2025. Kimbell became CEO of Ulta Beauty in 2021 after serving in executive roles with the company since 2014.

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Retail Wire

JANUARY 6, 2025

Trader Joe's continues to expand its footprint.

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

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

Accounting

Inside Retail

JANUARY 7, 2025

Midas, Supre, and Sage & Clare have ranked the highest for Customer Service Experience in the Online CX Index , Australias first and only online retailer performance platform powered by real data. The Online CX Index, a partnership between Inside Retail and Humii, covered the customer service experience in December on metrics such as the availability of self-service support options, quality of on-site FAQs, live chat, email support, support responsiveness, resolution times, and overall quali

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 6, 2025

The O2, the live entertainment, leisure, and retail destination, has recorded its best-ever year for sales and footfall. These standout results have been strengthened by significant leasing across the Entertainment District and Outlet Shopping at The O2, as well as the growing importance of social spending, and reaffirm The O2s position as a market-leading retail and leisure destination in the UK.

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Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 9, 2025

[Editors note: I sat down with the folks at PAN, our co-host for an exclusive event that will take place Monday, Jan. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at KYMA at Hudson Yards, to discuss a few of the key trends retail will be grappling with in 2025 for this blog post. Read on to take a look at the issues we plan to watch and cover onRetail TouchPoints. Adam Blair] Reflections on AI Use Cases PAN: Dont expect to walk by any vendor booths at NRF next week without having them tell you about their latest AI off

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Retail Wire

JANUARY 6, 2025

Costco's Kirkland Signature brand "Severe Cold and Flu Plus Congestion" medication may contain foreign material.

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Customer Experience