2024

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The Role of Communication in Streamlining Retail Security Operations

Retail TouchPoints

In 2024, retail crime is up – old-fashioned shoplifting by itself has risen 24% through the first half of the year, according to the Council on Criminal Justice. Never before has retail security been more important than today. From spotting suspicious persons on the premises to coordinating a response to threats, communication is key to keeping merchandise, employees and patrons safe and secure.

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The Benefits of a Mobile POS for Retail Stores in 2025

M19 Retail

The Benefits of a Mobile POS for Retail Stores In the fast-evolving retail environment, where customer expectations continue to rise, delivering quick, personalized service is no longer optional; it’s essential for business growth and customer retention. Mobile POS systems (mPOS) have emerged as a powerful tool for retailers to meet these expectations while simultaneously streamlining operations, enhancing flexibility, and driving sales.

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5 Simple Ways To Elevate Customer Perception Without Breaking The Bank

Retail Minded

When you’re on a budget, every small method of improving customer experience counts. Quality doesn’t have to mean expensive; you can make thoughtful, affordable upgrades to give you an edge and impress your customers without spending more than you can afford. Here are 5 simple, budget-friendly ways to boost how customers perceive your brand and add a touch of luxury to your products or services.

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Why Launching in Retail is Important for Product Startups

Retail Bound

Starting a product-based startup is no easy feat. In addition to having a great product, you need to build a strong brand, create a smooth customer experience, and generate enough buzz to get people talking. And that’s just the beginning. Once you’ve got all of that sorted, you still need to actually get your product into the hands of customers.

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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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Leveraging User-Generated Content (UGC) for Brand Growth: A Case Study

365 Retail

In today’s hyper-connected digital landscape, user-generated content (UGC) has emerged as a powerful force in shaping brand perception and driving business growth. From social media posts and reviews to photos and videos, UGC offers a unique blend of authenticity and credibility that resonates deeply with consumers. For retailers, leveraging UGC is no longer optionalits essential.

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Enhancing Sales Effectiveness Through Data-Driven Execution: A Deeper Dive into Store-Level Selling

Wiser

In our previous post, we outlined how brands can leverage store-level sales data and incremental points of distribution to boost in-store sales. Now, we’re taking it a step further by exploring how Wiser’s tools empower brands to combine sales and execution data to further optimize sales and retail performance. By integrating real-time insights, brands can better understand how execution at the store level impacts sales and make data-driven decisions that improve both product visibility and sale

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How Asos, M&S, Primark and Zalando are navigating a challenging fashion market

Retail Gazette

Over the last week there has been a raft of updates from fashion retailers, from Primark to M&S. The results have highlighted the different strategies fashion retailers are deploying to stay ahead in a fragmented and challenging market. From agile inventory models to premium positioning, each retailer has its own distinctive plan to drive growth amid shifting consumer behaviours, economic pressures, and rising competition.

Fashion 111
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Maximizing Sales with Effective Shop Display Maintenance

CJ Retail Solutions

The significance of shop display maintenance cannot be overstated in the retail environment. A well-maintained display serves as the first point of contact between a business and its customers, creating an immediate impression that can influence purchasing decisions. When displays are clean, organized, and visually appealing, they not only attract customers but also enhance the overall shopping experience.

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Standing on solid ground with practical sustainable floorings

Retail Focus

There is no escaping the subject of sustainability, with retailers under increasing pressure to implement changes to make them into a more planet friendly operation. Of course, this is much easier said than done, with “going green” not something that can be done overnight and instead requires careful thought and planning. While there are some more obvious steps retailers can take to bolster sustainability such as switching plastic-based bags for paper alternatives and putting in place product re

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Australia’s best retailers at returns: Bed Threads, The Iconic, Oroton

Inside Retail

Bed Threads, The Iconic, and Oroton ranked ahead of other retailers in November for overall returns 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 returns experience for November, from customer re-packaging and returning a product to receiving their refund.

Returns 278
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What Your Financial Statements Are Telling You—And How to Listen!

Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker

Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.

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Scheduling Transparency, Safety are Retail Workers’ Biggest Concerns this Holiday Season

Retail TouchPoints

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for a sizeable portion of the U.S. workforce the holiday shopping season can be the most strenuous and stress-filled time of year. As consumers furiously stock up on everything they need for under the tree and around the table, retail workers — who make up more than one quarter of the U.S. labor force — find themselves literally on the front lines of the holiday madness.

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As Gen Z Enters Prime Spending Years, Brands Sharpen Their Pitch

Retail TouchPoints

They’ve been shaped/scarred by not one but two global economic traumas — the Great Recession of 2008-2009 and the COVID pandemic — and they’ve grown up with social media playing an increasingly large (and loud) role in shaping culture, including how these consumers shop, research and purchase products and services. They’re Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012 and comprising 20.69% of the U.S. population — just a bit fewer than Baby Boomers ( 20.93% ) and the largest current group, millennials ( 21.

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How AI Assistants are Already Reshaping Shopping

Retail TouchPoints

2024 is set to go down in history as the year of the AI assistant. Amid all the ongoing furor around new artificial intelligence applications, when it comes to actual utility for both brands and consumers, the cream that has risen to the top appears to be AI-powered agents. Amazon was one of the first retailers to launch an AI shopping assistant, but others swiftly followed.

Shopping 289
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Has Amazon Finally Cracked the Code for Grocery Retailing?

Retail TouchPoints

In 2020 my beloved local Fairway went under, and for five years the store space has languished, sitting dark and empty alongside several other shuttered chains: Modells , Subway (although somehow the Kohls has survived). However, one month ago the lights turned back on with bright green flag chains strung across the parking lot and a large banner, Amazon Fresh announced that it was now open for business.

Checkout 284
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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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Generative AI in a New Retail Era: 3 Areas to Focus on for Immediate Impact

Retail TouchPoints

According to Cognizant’s recent study with Oxford Economics, generative AI is expected to have a $1 trillion impact on the economy by 2032. In particular, generative AI is revolutionizing the shopping landscape to create more personalized and memorable experiences for consumers. As retailers come to terms with the boundless potential of generative AI, Cognizant has identified three key areas where this technology will make the most significant and immediate impact: commerce, marketing and custom

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How Network Detection and Response Can Protect Retailers from Cybercrime

Retail TouchPoints

The past year has been brutal for big retailers when it comes to cybercrime. Breaches have compromised customer records, disrupted online sales and caused network outages that impacted customer deliveries. It’s not as though these companies had no defenses. They did. The alarming reality is that hackers are adopting new methodologies to overcome traditional defensive technologies – and are succeeding.

Checkout 290
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4 Ways Retailers can Connect with Gen Z

Retail TouchPoints

Retailers have to start understanding Gen Z. Theyre in their late teens to mid-20s and have far more purchasing power than we give them credit for. Theyll reach $12 trillion by 2030. Theyve grown up with devices in hand, and social media is their base of operations. But reaching them requires more than flashy social campaigns or discounts theyre more resilient to being marketed to as well as ham-fisted attempts to study them.

Returns 278
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The Real Price of a Data Breach in Retail

Retail TouchPoints

Businesses today operate in a fast-moving cyber threat landscape. As digital operations become more complex and cybercriminals launch increasingly sophisticated phishing and malware attacks, data breaches have become common occurrences. In 2024 alone, several high-profile companies, including Dell, AT&T, Ticketmaster and Disney have suffered the consequences of a major breach.

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SEO vs. PPC: Which Strategy Is Best for Your Business?

When it comes to driving traffic and growing your online presence, businesses often ask: SEO or PPC—what’s the better choice? This guide breaks down the key differences between search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, highlighting their pros, cons, and best use cases. Whether you’re looking for long-term organic growth or immediate visibility through paid ads, we’ll help you determine which strategy—or combination of both—is right for your business.

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Calpak Embarks on a New Retail Adventure: Physical Stores

Retail TouchPoints

When Edward and Judy Kwon founded Calpak 35 years ago, they modernized the luggage and travel goods sector by investing in innovative design and marketing. Over the past seven years, the brand’s VP of Marketing, Jeannie Shin, has witnessed and supported this evolution, especially as the brand built its direct-to-consumer (DTC) business online. But as many brands have learned, the major growth unlock for Calpak’s next phase was physical retail — especially given the highly visual and tactile natu

Wholesale 296
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Kroger Deploys RFID to Improve Inventory Visibility, Beginning in the Bakery

Retail TouchPoints

Kroger will leverage RFID technology from Avery Dennison for item-level digital identification, enabling more frequent and accurate inventory information to help maximize freshness, reduce waste and improve the store associate experience. The supermarket will begin in the bakery department, implementing RFID-embedded labels on each item. “Our work with Avery Dennison will improve inventory visibility, which means products will be on the shelves when our customers want them, while enabling our as

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SVP Reveals How Tractor Supply Assesses Tech to Power ‘Legendary’ Service Experiences

Retail TouchPoints

A key aspect of Tractor Supply Company s brand mission is providing legendary customer service. That means investing in technology that both directly and indirectly supports them as they browse and buy across channels. Whether customers decide to shop online, use the mobile app or are face to face with an associate, Tractor Supply offers a number of tools that enable inventory visibility, seamless service and fast checkout.

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The Power of Employer Branding in Attracting Top Retail Talent

Retail TouchPoints

When you think of any major retailer, you probably immediately imagine a personality, a distinct vibe, or something about the company that sets it apart in the marketplace. This branding isn’t just about appealing to customers but also is a way to attract top-notch employees as an employer. Employer branding refers to how a company showcases its culture, mission and values to potential employees, creating an appealing image that attracts quality retail talent.

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AI for Commerce: Foundations, Aspirations, and Hype

AI is rapidly transforming digital commerce, but how do you separate real opportunities from hype? Moderated by Orium, AI for Commerce: Foundations, Aspirations, and Hype , experts from Bloomreach , commercetools , Contentstack , and Fluent Commerce explores where AI is already delivering results and where its potential is still unfolding. This masterclass dives into proven AI applications, emerging innovations , and the gaps between promise and reality in commerce.

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Mobile Wallets: Unlocking a Powerful New Marketing Channel

Retail TouchPoints

Earlier this year, Google added compelling new features to Google Wallet to help consumers get more out of their mobile wallet passes. With this update , developers can send wallet notifications, letting consumers receive notifications about any updates to cards or passes stored in their mobile wallet. As Google shares, that might look like a notification from your favorite coffee shop on their new daily special or an update if your assigned seat on your boarding pass changes.

Marketing 297
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At 60, The Paper Store Remains Committed to Being the ‘Antithesis of Online Shopping’

Retail TouchPoints

Like most retailers of a certain age, The Paper Store debuted in brick-and-mortar — in this case a modest family-run newsstand in Maynard, Mass. that opened in 1964. And while the retailer has embraced ecommerce, its focus hasn’t wavered from providing an experiential, discovery-oriented in-person shopping experience for a wide range of product categories including apparel, décor, beauty and gifts.

Shopping 286
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Puma Brings Immersive Entertainment Flagship to Las Vegas

Retail TouchPoints

Puma has unveiled a new flagship concept that includes activations, customization services and other tech-powered elements. Located at the BLVD , a new retail and entertainment destination in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, this is the global sports brand’s second U.S. flagship. The 25,000-square-foot space spans three floors and represents Puma’s much broader “brand elevation strategy,” according to Arne Freundt, CEO of Puma.

Apparel 311
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Rethinking Retail Returns

Retail TouchPoints

Welcome to the world of retail returns, an expensive, cumbersome yet essential part of the industry. The number of returns is growing and managing them is critically important to maintaining margins and customer satisfaction. Consider these facts: total returns amounted to $743 billion in merchandise in 2023 and in 2022; approximately 16.5% of all purchased goods were returned to retailers.

Returns 311
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Staying Ahead of UFLPA Enforcement: Best Practices for Retail Supply Chains

Speaker: Ethan Woolley, Director at Kharon

This webinar will explore how companies can proactively address compliance risks–rather than reactively responding to–UFLPA enforcement actions. Ethan Woolley will provide insights into the latest CBP enforcement trends, entity list updates, and industries under increased scrutiny, with a look at potential shifts under the Trump administration. Ethan will also explore how predictive data and strategic due diligence can help organizations stay ahead of regulatory challenges and strengthen complia

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The Login Effect: The Role of Customer Authentication Psychology in Retail Success 

Retail TouchPoints

Picture this: You’re about to buy something online, but the site doesn’t remember who you are, so you go buy your item elsewhere, or just not at all. What might sound like an unlikely scenario happens all the time – a FIDO Alliance study found that U.S. consumers abandon a purchase and stop accessing an online service because they can’t remember their passwords 4.76 times per day on average.

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AI, Video and Immersive Engagement Drive Next-Gen Commerce Experiences

Retail TouchPoints

What’s powering next-gen commerce experiences? It’s a profound and weighty question to ask, especially with so many technologies evolving so quickly. During the Retail Innovation Conference & Expo, executives from ShopSimon (formerly Shop Premium Outlets), Rebag and Sune shared their answers by delving into the technologies and strategies driving their companies’ priorities.

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How Carter’s is Evolving with the Needs of Gen Z Parents

Retail TouchPoints

More than two-thirds ( 67% ) of American adults with an income of $100,000 or more are parents, representing a lot of spending power. And now, as a whole new demographic ( Gen Z ) ventures further into parenthood, brands and retailers need to adapt their strategies to reflect this cohorts behaviors, priorities and even beliefs. That is why Carters, the baby and childrens retailer behind Carters, OshKosh BGosh, Little Planet and Skip Hop , recently implemented a fresh direction and approach that

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Pet-Friendly Retail: Design for Sights, Smells and Sounds

Retail TouchPoints

As a geriatric millennial who lives and works in the greater Charlotte region of North and South Carolina, I notice pet-friendly establishments have become the expectation. Our temperate climate with ample sunshine and green space encourages spending time outside and sharing it with four-legged friends. But even comfortable environments like Charlotte’s have their limitations – after all, our iconic tree line requires ample rain.

Outdoor 287
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From Rigid To Resilient: Why Enterprises Need Modular Commerce Now

Speaker: Benjamin Woll, Tiffany Spizzo, and Jaime Santos Alcón

Enterprise commerce is at an inflection point. Rigid, monolithic platforms slow brands down, but a full replatforming is disruptive and costly. Modular architecture offers a flexible, scalable alternative - allowing enterprise brands to modernize without ripping and replacing their entire stack. Learn how a composable approach helps modernize commerce stacks while maintaining control over critical systems.