2022

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Maximizing the marketing value of the store

Mike Anthony

As e-commerce sales eat into physical retail numbers, questions about the viability of offline retail abound. Is this ‘Retail Armageddon’? No – but it is a significant shock to the retail ecosystem. A shock that has implications for retailers and brands alike. There is talk that stores must become ‘experiential’ – but what does that mean? Most shoppers, most of the time, don’t want ‘an experience’ when they shop!

Marketing 264
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Five leadership tips from entrepreneurs

Inside Retail

It can be easy to compare ourselves with others seemingly ten steps ahead in business, or to make the mistake of believing success came quickly or easily. In fact, many entrepreneurs will spend years learning from mistakes before solidifying and successfully executing a winning idea. What we don’t always see are the day-to-day steps of consistently working at an idea and on personal development to achieve said success.

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Aldi opens first checkout-free supermarket

Retail Focus

Aldi has opened its first checkout-free store, where shoppers will be able to pick up products and leave without queuing to pay. The discount supermarket’s new site in Greenwich, south-east London, will also allow customers to buy alcohol, using facial age estimation technology to check whether they appear to be over the age of 25. Aldi has opened its first checkout-free store in Greenwich, south-east London (Aldi/PA).

Checkout 338
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The Shopper Decision Tree and Shelf Layout – Not as simple as you think!

Mike Anthony

I recently conducted a poll on LinkedIN asking how best to organize products on a shelf. The results were interesting, with the vast majority of respondents suggesting that the merchandising layout should follow the Shopper Decision Tree. And at one level, that makes sense. But there are some significant issues with this approach. Shopper Decision Trees are an important source of shopper insight , but like most data, it is only a guide.

Shopping 264
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Modernizing the Frontend Experience on Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Unlock agility, boost performance, and gain control over your Salesforce frontend with the latest masterclass from Composable.com : Modernizing the Frontend Experience on Salesforce Commerce Cloud Featuring experts from Algolia, Ember, Netlify, and Stripe, this masterclass focuses on practical strategies for optimizing your Salesforce Commerce Cloud storefronts using modern composable commerce integrations.

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White paper: Joy of Shopping

Retail Focus

Following the oppression of isolation brought on by the pandemic, shopping-for-leisure in physical stores begins to replenish our essential need for real-time experiences and face-to-face interaction. The joy of shopping in bricks-and-mortar stores retains its pre-covid social value, but the key to on-going success is the industry understanding that customer needs have changed irrevocably, and they need to continue to adapt to meet them. female buyer pays with bank card in tea shop.

Shopping 335
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What’s the future of omnichannel retail?

Inside Retail

The year is 2030. It’s been a decade since the pandemic, and the world has moved on. Society has adapted and we’ve empowered ourselves economically, professionally and with technology. Things are looking bright (and maybe there’s not a mask in sight). We’ve innovated, tested, learnt, and reflected – and ultimately concluded that the future is human.

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8 Key Ecommerce Automation Strategies That Drive Sustainable and Profitable Growth

Retail TouchPoints

It’s hard to say that 2022 has been the year of ecommerce so far. Looking at all the stats, frankly one might even say quite the opposite. According to the latest Mastercard SpendingPulse report, ecommerce transactions have declined 1.8% from a year ago, while in-store sales rose 10%. From another perspective, research showed that on average, the online share of total spending rose sharply, from 10.3% in 2019 to 14.9% at the peak of the pandemic.

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Role of Knowledge Management in the Retail Customer Experience Scenario

Retail TouchPoints

Retail is one of the largest sectors in the world, with a retail sales forecast of $30.3 trillion in 2023. In a market so large and competitive, businesses compete to stand out to deliver bigger and better. The question that arises now is, how can businesses stand out? According to Forbes, today’s business benchmark is customer experience. The key to having that edge over the competition is delivering top-notch customer experience, ensuring the quality of well-trained staff and continuously stud

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Why Walmart is Doubling Down on Augmented Reality

Retail TouchPoints

Augmented reality tech is nothing new — in fact, it’s been around since 1968 (surprising, right?). And yet, it’s only in recent years that AR has begun to reach its full potential. Advancements in the tech itself and the growing ubiquity of smartphones have converged to create a whole host of new applications for AR outside the realm of gaming — and one of the biggest arenas is commerce.

Apparel 364
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How Retailers can Overcome the Challenges Faced on the Path to Sustainability

Retail TouchPoints

There are signs of a disconnect between consumers and retailers when it comes to sustainability. A recent report has found that two-thirds of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products than retailers expect — and reveals that consumer preference for recommerce models is also being underserved. Further reinforcing this misalignment is the finding that only half of the senior retailer executives surveyed believe sustainability to be an important purchase consideration for consumers

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Website Security Essentials: Protect Your Site and Strengthen Cybersecurity

In a digital-first world, website security is non-negotiable. This comprehensive guide explores the critical importance of securing your site against hackers and vulnerabilities like SQL injection, XSS, and malware. Discover tools like SiteLock for threat monitoring and CodeGuard for seamless backups, ensuring robust protection for your data and operations.

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Patagonia’s Newest Mission: Replacing Single-Use Packaging with Technology

Retail TouchPoints

Perhaps no brand has more sustainability street cred than Patagonia. That reputation is well-earned — from the company’s self-imposed “Earth Tax” and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (which it founded alongside Walmart ) all the way down to the plastic swift tacks used to attach its hang tags, Patagonia is known for practicing what it preaches. And yet the company keeps pushing to find ways to do more, and one of the many executives participating in these efforts is Jennifer Patrick, Director o

Apparel 363
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Top 4 Strategies for AI-Powered Profitability

Retail TouchPoints

Retailers today are faced with mounting pressure to maximize their bottom lines while maintaining cost expectations for consumers. But amid volatile market changes, ever-evolving customer expectations and increased competition online, this is increasingly challenging to realize. Enter artificial intelligence (AI). Many retailers are turning to AI to help boost productivity while keeping costs in check.

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Influencers: A Secret Weapon for Tackling Supply Chain Challenges

Retail TouchPoints

With supply chain challenges rampant worldwide, many brands and retailers are focusing on consistent, even proactive, communication to address the demand side of the equation. But Lindsay Jerutis, GM for ShopStyle Collective , believes that marketing and social teams are overlooking a significant opportunity: using influencers to sway product demand and respond to product availability challenges.

Consumer 363
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Trivago fined $44.7 million for misleading travellers

Inside Retail

Online travel booking company Trivago has been ordered to pay $44.7 million in penalties by the Australian Federal Court for misleading consumers over hotel prices. The court found that in January 2020, the company deceived consumers through misleading misrepresentations of hotel room rates on its website and in television advertisements. . Trivago had used an algorithm to determine which travel booking site paid the highest cost-per-click fee and highlighted them on its website.

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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

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.

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Bloomingdale’s Kicks off 150th Year with Virtual Store, Anniversary Exclusives and Events

Retail TouchPoints

Blackstock & Weber for Bloomingdale’s 150th. Bloomingdale’s has debuted a lineup of designer collaborations, events and digital activations, including a virtual store, to celebrate its 150 th anniversary. A 150th Anniversary Collection of exclusive limited-edition merchandise launched on Sept. 8, the day before New York Fashion Week kicks off.

Fashion 360
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Beyond the Transaction: How PayPal is Helping Remove Friction Across the Commerce Experience

Retail TouchPoints

PayPal has come a long way from the days when it was known primarily as the way to pay on eBay. Since spinning off from eBay and going public for a second time in 2015, PayPal has expanded its reach well beyond that one digital marketplace to more than 30 million merchants worldwide. “Mobile technology is transforming payments, making it easier, safer and more affordable for people to move and manage their money than ever before,” said Dan Schulman, President and CEO of PayPal at the time of the

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Lowe’s Employs RFID, Blockchain to Combat Retail Theft

Retail TouchPoints

Lowe’s has unveiled a new solution, developed in its Innovation Labs division, designed to combat retail theft in way that is invisible to customers through the use of RFID chips and the blockchain. Called Project Unlock , the new technology combines low-cost RFID chips and IoT sensors to activate power tools at the point of purchase while also creating a secure, publicly accessible and anonymized record of legitimate purchases on the blockchain.

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Aldi launches robotic pizza vending machine, Pizzabot

Inside Retail

Aldi Corner Store in North Sydney has debuted a first of a kind pizza-making robot vending machine, dubbed Pizzabot. The collaboration with Bondi startup Placer Robotics, will serve restaurant-grade pizzas in two minutes for a limited time. The vending machine is designed and manufactured in Australia. Huw Longman, director of Aldi Corner Store commented: “We understand our shoppers are motivated by quality, value and supporting local.

Consumer 361
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NEWS: SML RFID Delivers 98% Inventory Accuracy to Gina Tricot

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.

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Crypto Payments Adoption in FinTech: How Do Retailers Fit in?

Retail TouchPoints

No matter how fast the modern payment ecosystem is developing, the pursuit of the best customer experience isn’t going anywhere. To answer customers’ demands, business leaders must find the balance between adapting services to consumers’ digitally-driven shopping behaviors and staying true to the company’s strategy. For retailers, the revolutionary payments shift towards cryptocurrency will certainly come with challenges, but it may all be worth it.

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How AI will increase your search ROI

Inside Retail

Your on-site search bar is one of the most popular ways for customers to find what they are looking for on your site. It also offers conversion rates 1.8x higher than browsing alone! However, most e-commerce businesses treat search as an infrastructure cost like web hosting. Friends, retailers, countrymen… lend me your ears… if there’s one myth to dispel, it’s that search is “just another website feature” or “sunk cost.

Returns 360
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Axonify Acquires Nudge to Enhance Frontline Training and Communication Capabilities

Retail TouchPoints

Employee training and communications software provider Axonify has acquired Nudge , an employee communication and execution platform. This combined company will aim to simplify frontline team enablement and offer best-in-class tools for frontline-devoted organizations. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Axonify and Nudge will work together to deliver an integrated approach to learning, engagement and execution that leverages Axonify’s adaptive microlearning methodology with Nudge’s

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How Retailers Can Establish an IoT-Based Smart Building Strategy

Retail TouchPoints

The increasing dominance of ecommerce and the growing prevalence of disruptive technologies have sped up the digital transformation of brick-and-mortar retail. As the retail industry shifts, so do customer expectations. Retailers are facing a multifaceted challenge to meet customer experience standards while tackling increasing competition, skyrocketing location costs, hiring challenges, advancing technologies and the growing need to contribute sustainable solutions.

Planning 359
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eCommerce in 2025: How Customer Experience Drives Online Retail Success

Speaker: Jennifer Wright and Nick Barron

2025 is right around the corner, and with it comes a new wave of consumer expectations, competitive pressures, and operational challenges. Success lies in finding the balance between operational flexibility and creating experiences that keep customers coming back. The future of retail belongs to those who can stay ahead of shifting customer preferences and marketing trends. 🔮 In this session, we’ll dive deep into what it takes to keep customers engaged and your operations nimble, no matt

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The Future of Shopping: What to Expect in 2032

Retail TouchPoints

Over the last two years, the retail industry evolved faster than we could’ve imagined. Ecommerce, along with other digital channels, took center stage as new shopping habits formed and expectations drastically shifted. While we won’t be traveling in flying cars to our favorite stores anytime soon, we’re still on the fast track to a transformed shopping experience.

Shopping 358
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How the Metaverse can Benefit Physical Retail Stores

Retail TouchPoints

With industries around the world showing interest in the metaverse, retail leaders are facing the exciting opportunity to follow suit and provide customers with the ease of online shopping without compromising the benefits of the physical experience. For example, Forever 21 is getting involved by collaborating with the popular online game Roblox, allowing users to customize virtual fashion stores using Forever 21 products and then purchase the physical equivalents on their website.

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5 Real-World Ways 5G Will Transform Retail

Retail TouchPoints

5G is the talk of the town these days — up there with Web3 and the metaverse. But just like those other technologies, 5G is less a specific solution and more of an enabler. What matters most is what you do with it. So what can retailers do with 5G? There are an almost infinite number of answers, but the long and the short of it is that 5G will enable merchants to perform intricate digital tasks faster and on a much larger scale. “5G is really three things — speed , latency and massive connectivi

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Why Two Cannabis Retailers are High on In-Store Tech and Innovative Design

Retail TouchPoints

The legal cannabis market was valued at $12.81 billion worldwide in 2020, and thanks to a 27.25% compound annual growth rate, the budding industry (no pun intended) is expected to reach $54.41 billion globally by 2026. To capitalize on this expected growth, cannabis retailers are focused on building trust and, most of all, standing out. For approximately two decades, Cookies and Dr.

Marketing 354
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How to Maximize Amazon Sales and Crush the Competition

With over 9 million sellers on Amazon, online marketplaces are more crowded than ever. Whether you’re looking to fine-tune prices in real-time or align strategies across channels, this guide provides the tools to understand how to maximize sales and secure a lasting competitive edge. Download now to transform your pricing strategy and drive holiday success.

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Walmart Acquires Robotics Company to Boost Next-Gen Fulfillment Capabilities

Retail TouchPoints

Walmart has entered an agreement to acquire Alert Innovation , a robotics automation company that develops material-handling technology for automating order fulfillment in retail supply chains. Walmart has been working with Alert to customize technology for its market fulfillment centers (MFCs) since 2016. Now, the retailer plans to increase its investment in the technology in order to leverage its 4,700 stores, which put the retailer within 10 miles of 90 % of the U.S. population, for storage a

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Inside PUMA’s ‘Humble’ Approach to Metaverse Strategy

Retail TouchPoints

When it comes to world building in the metaverse, the creative opportunities are essentially limitless. That’s why, as brands and retailers start to mold their environments on platforms like Roblox, experts encourage them to focus on immersive storytelling , gamification and digital-physical integration to drive engagement. PUMA is leaning into all three with a new sports-based experience on Roblox called “PUMA and the Land of Games.

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AWS, Meta, Microsoft Join Forces to Challenge Google’s Mapping Dominance

Retail TouchPoints

Amazon Web Services (AWS) , Meta , Microsoft and mapping and location solution TomTom are the founding members of a new collaborative effort to develop a set of shared, open and interoperable map data in order “to create a living digital record of the physical world.”. Some might argue that record already exists in the form of Google Maps , but that is largely the point of the new initiative — to take control of this important tool (used by billions of businesses and consumers every day for a mu

Location 345
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Delivering on Delivery: Holiday Season Tips and Tricks from a Roadie Exec

Retail TouchPoints

The term “supply chain” has officially entered the mainstream vernacular thanks to the disruption of the last couple of years. Yet despite (or perhaps because of) all the recent snarls in the long-haul supply chain, a host of new services have popped up offering consumers faster delivery than ever before. Valerie Metzker, Head of Partnerships, Roadie.

Shipping 346
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Innovation Fest: Summer of AI

Join Bloomreach at Innovation Fest: Summer 2024, a virtual event, to explore the future of personalized marketing and merchandising! Along with the company’s top product experts, CEO Raj De Datta will provide an exclusive look at the company’s latest AI innovations reshaping the omnichannel experience. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to connect with fellow industry leaders and explore the latest trends in retail technology.