Retail TouchPoints
JUNE 11, 2025
AI has already raised consumer expectations across the board. People expect hyper-personalization, and they expect things to happen faster. What used to take a day should take an hour, and what took an hour should take a minute. When it comes to purchasing decisions, CPG brands and retailers still rely heavily on visuals, shelf presence and advertising to stand out.
Retail Wire
JUNE 11, 2025
Indiana is the latest flash point in Kroger ’s spreading labor unrest. Members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 700 — representing roughly 8,000 clerks, meat-cutters, and pharmacy techs across central Indiana — rejected a tentative four-year agreement by a lopsided 74% “no” vote. The “no” vote automatically activated strike authorization, giving leaders the legal power to call a walkout at any moment.
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Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
While David Jones’ chief executive Scott Fyfe has positioned the department store’s new loyalty program in partnership with Qantas as a key element in the group’s recovery strategy, retail experts aren’t convinced it’s that simple. “A loyalty program is not the panacea for every business’s long-term growth need,” Adam Posner, The Point of Loyalty founder, told Inside Retail.
Retail Wire
JUNE 11, 2025
Using Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI platform, Starbucks is adding a generative AI assistant to 35 stores this month. The technology’s intent is to help baristas improve efficiency and decrease service wait times. Named “Green Dot Assist,” the platform was introduced to North American store managers at Starbucks’ Leadership Experience earlier this week in Las Vegas.
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.
Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
Alquemie Group has closed down National Geographic Stores in Australia, weeks after selling sister brands Ginger & Smart and Surfstitch to an undisclosed buyer. The National Geographic Stores launched in Australia in 2023 as a partnership between Alquemie and The Walt Disney Company. The stores sold outerwear and adventure clothing and were launched to compete with brands like Kathmandu and The North Face.
Retail Focus
JUNE 11, 2025
EE is bringing the future face of retail to Nottingham with the launch of a new Experience store – the latest iteration of a cutting-edge retail experience concept created in partnership with global strategy and design studio, Dalziel & Pow. The Experience store is part of EE’s new strategy, which seeks to reinvent the role of retail in the telco industry by putting innovation, personal experience and community front-and-centre.
Experience Retail Today brings together the best content for retail owners from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
Women’s plus-size apparel retailer Torrid is the latest retail player to reduce its store portfolio, following similar moves, such as Denny’s , Walgreens and many others, despite sales being relatively stable. In a quarterly report released on June 5, Torrid announced plans to shrink its brick-and-mortar footprint by up to 180 locations, approximately 30 per cent of its total fleet, by the end of 2025.
Retail TouchPoints
JUNE 11, 2025
As part of its mission to make luxury resale more accessible to consumers, Rebag will offer nearly 30,000 curated, pre-loved luxury handbags, jewelry and watches on Luxury Stores at Amazon , beginning June 10, 2025. The assortment will feature high-profile brands such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Rolex and Cartier. “Rebag is thrilled to work with Luxury Stores at Amazon and to redefine how customers shop for pre-owned luxury,” said Charles Gorra, CEO and Founder of Rebag in a statement.
Retail Wire
JUNE 11, 2025
Chipotle plans a rapid expansion of its restaurant footprint. With the help of AI, the Tex-Mex chain is opening a new location almost daily. Chipotle’s AI hiring platform, dubbed Ava Cado , is driving the growth spurt. According to CEO Scott Boatwright, the tech is reducing hiring time by 75%. “This not only helps us keep our restaurant staffed, but ensures we have the best talent that’s available in the industry,” Boatwright told Fortune.
Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
Amazon Australia has launched Amazon Business, a platform designed to simplify and reduce costs for Australian organisations of all sizes. This business-to-business (B2B) offering provides an extensive product selection and convenience with features tailored for business buyers. The key benefits include: business-only pricing and quantity discounts on eligible selection, single or multi-user business accounts, Business Prime, and dedicated customer support.
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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
Retail Focus
JUNE 11, 2025
Speciality coffee roaster, 200 Degrees , has announced that it is celebrating the launch of its brand-new coffee shop opening at the highly anticipated Cotswolds Designer Outlet by giving away 2,000 free drinks to locals who sign up here. Set to open this summer, the exciting new launch marks the brand’s most southerly location in England, and its 23rd coffee shop across the UK, bringing the signature 200 Degrees experience of great coffee, quality food and a cosy, welcoming space, to a whole ne
Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
Entrepreneurship has never been a nine-to-five job. But for women founders, particularly those navigating motherhood, the demands can become all-consuming. For Sharmeen Looi, co-founder and chief marketing officer of iMotorbike, this dual journey has shaped not only the business she’s building but also the kind of leader she’s becoming. Since launching iMotorbike, a leading platform for buying and selling secondhand motorcycles across Southeast Asia, Sharmeen has helped steer the business toward
Retail Focus
JUNE 11, 2025
Unlike traditional static cling vinyl, which degrades after about 6 months, struggles in cold and humid conditions, and contains highly plasticised PVC—one of the most environmentally harmful plastics—Glass Apeel offers a revolutionary alternative. This innovative solution is not only free from harmful VOCs but also provides complete repositionability and lifetime removability.
Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
Chinese energy sector worker Mandy Li likes to treat herself to a luxury brand handbag once in a while. But since her state-owned employer cut her wage by 10 per cent and the properties her family owns lost half their value, she only buys second-hand ones. “I’m cutting down on large expenditures,” said 28-year-old Li, while browsing for items in Beijing’s Super Zhuanzhuan second-hand luxury items store that opened in May. “The economy is definitely in a downturn,
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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.
Small Biz Trends
JUNE 11, 2025
A growing majority of small businesses believe adopting artificial intelligence (AI) is critical for remaining competitive, according to a new survey conducted by Reimagine Main Street in partnership with PayPal. The survey, which included nearly 1,000 small businesses with annual revenues between $25,000 and $5 million, found that 82% of respondents believe AI is essential for competing in today’s marketplace.
Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
Thanks to a growing interest in do-it-yourself (DIY) projects in recent years, the hardware retail sector has never been stronger. According to analysis firm Mordor Intelligence , the US hardware store market is estimated to reach US$58.9 billion by the end of 2025. The sector is expected to reach US$74.7 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.89 per cent during the period between 2025 to 2030.
Small Biz Trends
JUNE 11, 2025
Key Takeaways Enhanced Navigation: Google Maps simplifies travel by providing real-time directions, traffic updates, and alternative routes, making navigation stress-free for users and businesses alike. Business Visibility: Having a presence on Google Maps increases local search visibility, boosting brand awareness and driving foot traffic to small businesses.
Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
Starbucks is trialling a new AI-powered virtual assistant across 35 stores in the US and Canada. Dubbed Green Dot Assist, the tool enables baristas to ask questions and receive immediate, conversational answers, eliminating the need to reference manuals or look up information. According to the company, the technology aims to streamline access to essential information, helping baristas build confidence and product knowledge while maintaining smooth operations.
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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.
Nvidia
JUNE 11, 2025
The European Union is investing over $200 billion into AI — but to gain the most value from this investment, its developers must navigate three key constraints: limited compute availability, data-privacy needs and safety priorities. Unveiled at the NVIDIA GTC Paris keynote at VivaTech , a new suite of NVIDIA technologies is making it easier to address these challenges at every stage of the AI development and deployment cycle.
Inside Retail
JUNE 11, 2025
As the business environment continues to evolve, the need for top notch digital payment solutions has never been greater. Tyro offers a comprehensive range of advanced payment technologies tailored to meet the needs of small businesses. These solutions are designed to simplify transaction processes, potentially improve operational efficiency, and provide businesses with the tools they need to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced market.
Nvidia
JUNE 11, 2025
AI’s in fashion in France — as it is across the globe — with the technology already helping solve some of the country’s greatest challenges across research and innovation, transportation, manufacturing and many other industries. And this fashion’s here to stay. France’s National Strategy for AI, part of the broader France 2030 investment plan, includes more than €109 billion in investments for the country’s AI infrastructure projects.
Retail Customer Experience
JUNE 11, 2025
Retailers face a tricky balancing act: using technology to make life easier for customers while keeping the human connection that builds loyalty and trust. Automation can do a lot, but it’s the people behind the scenes who turn a good experience into a great one.
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.
Nvidia
JUNE 11, 2025
Autonomous vehicle (AV ) stacks are evolving from many distinct models to a unified, end-to-end architecture that executes driving actions directly from sensor data. This transition to using larger models is drastically increasing the demand for high-quality, physically based sensor data for training, testing and validation. To help accelerate the development of next-generation AV architectures, NVIDIA today released NVIDIA Cosmos Predict-2 — a new world foundation model with improved future wor
Small Biz Trends
JUNE 11, 2025
Key Takeaways Personal Preferences Matter: Diners are influenced by their tastes and dietary needs, making it essential for restaurants to offer a diverse and appealing menu with options for all dietary restrictions. Social Influence is Key: Recommendations from friends, family, and online reviews significantly impact dining choices. Encouraging satisfied customers to share their experiences can effectively enhance a restaurant’s visibility.
Retail Wire
JUNE 11, 2025
Waiting in a long queue has always been the hidden tax on bargain-hunting at Costco. That pain point is precisely what CEO Ron Vachris aims to eliminate with a new in-app Scan & Pay system, now transitioning from lab tests to a 27-warehouse pilot across the United States. Early results, according to Fox Business , have been “extremely successful in moving people through the lines and expediting the transactions.
Small Biz Trends
JUNE 11, 2025
Key Takeaways Engagement Amplification: Animated videos can increase engagement rates significantly, yielding up to 1200% more shares than traditional text and images. Effective Storytelling: They simplify complex concepts and convey messages clearly, making storytelling more impactful and memorable for viewers. Variety of Styles: Different types of animation (2D, 3D, and stop motion) offer distinct advantages, allowing brands to tailor their approach based on target audience and platform.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
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.
Retail Gazette
JUNE 11, 2025
Poundland is facing uncertainty over a possible rescue deal as the discount chain has been hit with a series of court claims on outstanding taxes. Several local councils are understood to be chasing the retailer for unpaid business rates worth millions of pounds, The Telegraph reported. It is thought that Poundland was hoping to write off the payments under its radical restructuring plan drawn up by management.
Small Biz Trends
JUNE 11, 2025
Key Takeaways Introduction of “Follow Me” Feature: TikTok’s new “Follow Me” feature enhances user engagement by providing personalized content updates from favorite creators, ensuring that users never miss important moments. Enhanced User Experience: This feature improves the overall TikTok experience by making interactions more accessible and enjoyable, facilitating real-time connections between businesses and their audiences.
Retail Gazette
JUNE 11, 2025
Investment firm Gordon Brothers has acquired Poundland from Pepco Group and pledged up to £80m for the retailer’s proposed management-led turnaround plan. Barry Williams, who returned as CEO in March , will continue to lead the business as it undergoes restructuring amid challenging trading conditions. The discounter, known for its low prices and wide product range, operates around 800 stores across the UK and Republic of Ireland, employing approximately 16,000 people.
Small Biz Trends
JUNE 11, 2025
Key Takeaways Understanding Value Added: Value added refers to enhancements in products or services that increase their appeal and worth to customers, distinguishing businesses in competitive markets. Importance of Value Added: Prioritizing value added drives customer engagement and loyalty, leading to higher sales conversions and long-term revenue growth by effectively addressing customer needs.
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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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