Thu.Mar 30, 2023

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#CCS23: Composable Commerce, ChatGPT and Data, Data, Data

Retail TouchPoints

The virtues of composable commerce and the emerging possibilities of generative AI were key themes of this year’s Connected Consumer Series , Resilient Retail: How Efficient, Effective and Engaging CX is Fueling Growth. The webinar series, now available on demand, included case studies from retailers Sweaty Betty and SiteOne that highlighted composable commerce’s flexibility and positive impact on site performance, as well as information on how ChatGPT offers personalization capabilities at scal

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H&M posts surprise profit, despite slow seasonal sales

Inside Retail

H&M, the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer, reported on Thursday a surprise operating profit for the December-February period, despite weak demand as consumers curtailed spending amid soaring inflation. Operating profit in the Swedish group’s fiscal first quarter was $69.73 million against a profit of 458 million a year earlier and a mean forecast of 1.10 billion loss in a Refinitiv poll of analysts.

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NRF Projects a 4% to 6% Sales Increase in 2023 as Consumers Recalibrate Shopping Patterns

Retail TouchPoints

The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects retail sales to grow from 4% to 6% in 2023, reaching between $5.13 trillion and $5.23 trillion for the year, according to data released at the State of Retail & the Consumer virtual event. This puts annual growth projections significantly above the pre-pandemic average of 3.6% , but below the 7% growth rate of 2022.

Consumer 297
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Adairs, Aboriginal artists Cungelella Art create new collection

Inside Retail

Homewares retailer Adairs has partnered with an Indigenous art project – Cungelella Art – to launch a limited-edition collection in-store and online. Cungelella Art is a project between four Kalkadoon sisters, named after the family’s grandmother. The collection reflects the stories of the sisters’ Kalkatungu homelands, with the colour palette “influenced” by the ancient rock faces, spinifex-covered hills and the shades of the Mt Isa sunset.

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A Roadmap For Modernization: How To Break Free From Your Monolith Before July 31, 2026

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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Foot Locker to Boost Digital Investments 50% as it Aims for 25% Online Sales by 2026

Retail TouchPoints

Foot Locker , which is aiming to grow its revenue to more than $10 billion through its Lace Up Plan, will expand tech investment to 3% or above annual sales — a move that will boost capital expenditure in the area by more than 50% over the coming four years and raise its overall capital expenditure by more than $50 million as it pursues 25% digital sales by 2026.

Planning 278
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Why retailers can’t afford to ignore cybersecurity

Inside Retail

With the Federal Government announcing a new national cyber office and an overhaul of Australia’s cyber law also announced, cybersecurity continues to be a top issue for business and industry. According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s Annual Cyber Security report , the average cost of cybercrime to Australian businesses has risen by 14 per cent from FY21 to FY22, and can cost $39,000 to a small business, $88,000 to a medium business, and more than $62,000 to large business per incident

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Alibaba’s restructuring: It’s all about agility and retaining synergies

Inside Retail

It’s a brave new world for Alibaba Group, which recently announced that it is planning to split into six units and explore fundraisings or listings for most of them. This is all part of a major revamp, as the Chinese government eases its regulatory crackdowns and starts to support its private enterprises. The six independent business units that have been proposed are: Cloud Intelligence Group, Taobao Tmall Commerce Group, Local Services Group, Cainiao Smart Logistics Group, Global Digital Comme

Finance 130
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H&M Introduces Extended Sizes Online and in Stores Across the U.S.

Retail TouchPoints

H&M U.S. has expanded its extended size assortment in consultation with activist and model Tess Holliday. Stores will now feature products that go up to 2XL for women and men, and online extended sizes will be available up to 4XL for women and 3XL for men. In addition to the extended size assortment, H&M recently introduced the new Curvy Denim collection, which focuses on fit and shape instead of size and caters to a curvier body type, with more room in the hips and thighs and a longer r

Consumer 259
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How Esprit CEO William Pak pivoted from the law to fashion

Inside Retail

Esprit CEO William Pak is one of those lucky few who doesn’t need a lot of sleep. That comes in handy, given the enormous task of turning around the iconic fashion brand, which lost its way in recent years. Here’s a closer look at Pak’s career journey thus far. Inside Retail: Tell me about your career journey. How did you get into the industry, what are some of the different roles you’ve held along the way?

Fashion 130
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Mobile Media Labs Helps Retail Marketers Enable Results-Driven Campaigns

Retail TouchPoints

Mobile Media Labs solutions are designed to help retail marketers connect with publishers looking to monetize their traffic in order to help retailers acquire new customers despite strained budgets. The MM Offerwall platform offers a cost-per-action basis for acquiring new customers that is set up to only require retailers to pay if they get predefined results, such as downloading the app or signing up.

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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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Retail appointments of the week

Inside Retail

Redbubble co-founder Martin Hosking named CEO By Rakshnna Pattabiraman Martin Hosking has been appointed CEO and MD of the Redbubble Group, effective immediately. Outgoing CEO Michael Ilczynski resigned to pursue other opportunities in a non-competitive area and will provide assistance to Hosking until June 30 to ensure a smooth transition. “While I am disappointed the group has not returned to growth under my leadership, I am proud of the progress we have made towards achieving our strategic ob

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Private Label’s Growth Could Be Lasting — if Retailers Listen to Consumers’ Sustainability Preferences

Retail TouchPoints

The trend lines for private label sales have rarely looked better. The Private Label Manufacturers Association reported that sales of private label consumer packaged goods soared 11% last year to nearly $230 billion. Sales of store brand products often rise during periods of economic hardship, and it’s clear that double-digit inflation has spurred consumers to turn to cheaper alternatives to save money.

Consumer 256
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How Cadbury, Darrell Lea and Koko Black are changing the Easter recipe

Inside Retail

Ten consecutive cash rate rises, as well as grocery price increases of almost 10 per cent during the three months to December 2022, could set the scene for the next major retail sales event: Easter. The holiday is expected to see Australians indulge, according to the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), which is tipping consumers will spend almost $1.7 billion during Easter – a figure which is up 14.5 per cent on 2022, and which outstrips base-line inflationary increases.

Marketing 130
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Saks customers spend big on live-streamed events

Retail Wire

Customers shopping at Saks Live streaming events spend twice what the average shopper spends. “Luxury has a real heritage in these very intimate, very interactive experiences that get you really close to the fabulous things that we’re selling, the beautiful construction, the high quality,” said Saks CMO Emily Essner.

Shopping 130
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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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The Visual Merchandising and Display Show Preview: An Exciting Showcase of Innovation, Creativity, and Expertise in the Retail Design Industry

Retail Focus

The Visual Merchandising and Display Show is one of the most highly anticipated events in the retail industry, providing a unique platform for professionals to come together and showcase the latest innovations, trends and techniques in the field of visual merchandising and display. The show will take place on the 18th to 19th April 2023 at the Business Design Centre in London and is set to be a must-attend event for anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve in retail.

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The metaverse dream seems light-years away

Retail Wire

It looks like we’ll have to remain content living in the material world as the hyped-up dreams of a virtual one (AKA the metaverse) seem a long way from becoming a reality. Disney, Meta and Microsoft are among the major companies with grand visions for the metaverse that have since cut back on those efforts or abandoned them altogether.

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10 Different Techniques to Try to Increase High-End Retail Sales

Retail Focus

While all retail stores use similar marketing techniques , high-end retail stores have to use that blueprint and turn it on its head. After all, no one is going to buy a $5,000 bag just because it’s expensive; they buy it for the name brand. But if you don’t have a name, what can you do? 10 Different Techniques to Increase Luxury Sales Figures Gucci, Dior, and Chanel can get by with just name recognition alone, but your brand will need something more.

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ByteDance preps new U.S. app launch despite TikTok ban talk

Retail Wire

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has begun trying to drum up interest in a new social media app focused on fashion, food and wellness. The new Lemon8 platform is trying to recruit creators before it officially rolls out in the U.S. later this year. ByteDance is under pressure to cut its alleged ties with the Chinese government or sell TikTok to avoid an outright ban on the video-sharing site in the U.S.

Fashion 130
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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.

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Walmart e-commerce fulfillment layoffs top 600

Retail Dive

The retail giant is providing few details about the downsizing of a network that it had grown quickly in recent years.

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Moschino flagship store references the "history of ancient Italy"

Dezeen

Italian studio Andrea Tognon Architecture has collaborated with former Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott to renovate the brand's flagship store in Milan. Located on Via della Spiga, one of Milan's famed shopping streets, the store sits within the 18th-century Palazzo Perusati, which was recently transformed by real estate company Hines into a luxury retail development.

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Tommy Hilfiger introduces multi-metaverse hub for Metaverse Fashion Week

Retail Dive

The brand debuted both physical and digital wearables in a collaboration with DressX, Ready Player Me, Spatial, Roblox and Decentraland.

Fashion 122
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More Americans filed for unemployment last week

Retail Wire

First-time jobless claims rose 7,000 to 198,000 last week, according to the Labor Department. The four-week average rose to 198,350, marking the tenth straight week under 200,000.

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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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Dollar General to bring expanded beauty offering to 300 stores this year

Retail Dive

The retailer is also introducing three exclusive skin and hair care lines — featuring products for $6 or less — nationwide.

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Dutch Bros. continues eastward expansion

Retail Wire

The Dutch Bros. coffee chain, which opened in 1992 in Oregon, plans to open 150 new shops this year,including its first locations in Alabama and Kentucky. The company, which opened 133 new shops in 2022, expects to have 1,000 in operation by the first half of 2025.

Location 100
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Prose appoints first chief scientific officer

Retail Dive

Marie Mignon was one of the hair care brand’s first employees and previously worked at L'Oréal for eight years.

ATS 111
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America’s largest egg producer reports a 718 percent gain in profits

Retail Wire

Cal-Maine Foods, the largest egg producer in the United States, saw its sales double year-over-year in the quarter ending February 25. The company’s quarterly profits jumped 718 percent as it raised prices. The total number of eggs sold inched up one percent.

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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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Lenders acquire bankrupt Morphe owner for $690M

Retail Dive

Forma Brands reached an agreement to be acquired by Jefferies Finance and Cerberus Capital Management after filing for Chapter 11 in January.

Finance 110
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Howard Schultz tells Senate committee that Starbucks plays by the rules

Retail Wire

Starbucks has violated federal labor laws 130 times as it has sought to stave off organizing activity at its stores. Former CEO Howard Schultz, who denied accusations by Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that Starbucks has acted in bad faith negotiating with unionized shops, received support from Republican members who said he was being personally singled out for the company’s stance on collective bargaining.

Location 100
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The Backroom: Unearthing financial details about J.C. Penney

Retail Dive

The team talks about the treasure trove of information on the department store’s financial health, found thanks to a tip from one of its new owners.

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Employing skilled talents without degree ‘could close digital skills gap’, research finds

Retail Times

The subject of the tech skills gap remains a hot topic of conversation in both tech and wider business circles, with Fortune recently reporting on how the gap may well widen if uptake of tech careers continues to remain low amongst Gen Z.

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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.