January, 2025

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Embracing MoCRA for a Safer, Transparent Cosmetics Industry

Retail TouchPoints

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) introduces significant regulatory changes for the cosmetics industry, aimed at enhancing consumer safety and product transparency. This article explores the essential MoCRA requirements, from new facility registration and labeling rules to adverse event reporting and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

Consumer 297
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After the Christmas high comes the returns, here’s how to break the cycle

Inside Retail

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.

Returns 276
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Overcoming Retail Media Challenges: Strategies for Success

Tokinomo

Retail media is rapidly transforming how brands connect with consumers, but succeeding in this dynamic space is far from simple. Many companies struggle to unlock their full potential, held back by complex challenges that demand innovative solutions. In this article, we explore the critical retail media challenges and provide fresh strategies to help brands stay ahead, build resilience, and drive meaningful results.

Consumer 246
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What’s in store for retail in 2025?

Retail Focus

Its that time of year again when we can sit down, pour ourselves a little (or indeed large) glass of something, and reminisce about the year that was. It is fair to say that retail has had its ups and down in 2024, with plenty of challenges accompanying the good times. While certain trends that were apparent this year may not be as key in 2025, others will continue into the next year and beyond, playing a major role in shaping customer demand.

Consumer 163
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Smart Tools & Strong Teams: A People-First Approach to AI in Sales

Speaker: Matt Sunshine, CEO at The Center for Sales Strategy

AI isn’t replacing salespeople—it’s empowering them. The most forward-thinking sales organizations are using AI to enhance human performance rather than eliminate it. From coaching and messaging to prospecting and pipeline accountability, artificial intelligence is giving managers and SDRs the new tools they need to work smarter, sell better, and close more.

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NRF 2025 Preview: New York’s Javits Center Once Again Becomes the Center of the Retail Universe

Retail TouchPoints

NRF 2025: Retails Big Show will return to New York Citys Javits Center January 12-14, with attendees from all over the globe converging on the Big Apple to visit the more than 1,000 exhibitors and attend the 175 sessions, starting with AI and continuing through the entire retail alphabet. Last years show drew approximately 40,000 attendees. High-profile speakers at the 2025 event will include: Tracee Ellis Ross, Founder, Pattern Beauty ; Pete Nordstrom, President, Nordstrom ; Joshua Schulman, CE

Returns 278
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12 Proven Customer Retention Strategies in Retail

RETAIL MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

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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Amazon is set to take off in Australia this year, get ready

Inside Retail

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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Poundland cracks down on in-store crime with new campaign

A1 Retail

Poundland is launching its Against Retail Crime initiative this week as part of its ongoing efforts to address increasing shop theft, as well as abuse and harassment of its colleagues. Poundland is investing significantly in security enhancements. Part of this investment will support its 800-plus store estate as its equipped with anti-theft innovation to deter shoplifting and with communication headsets to allow its people to communicate quickly when incidents occur and take action swiftly and s

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“I Matter Too” campaign launches urging retailers to prioritise accessibility ahead of the European Accessibility Act

Retail Focus

As the June 2025 deadline for the European Accessibility Act approaches, Nexer Digital has launched a new campaign, I Matter Too , to raise awareness about the importance of inclusive online experiences. The campaign aims to encourage online retailers to act now and embrace digital accessibility as a core part of their strategy, not just to meet legal requirements but to go beyond compliance and deliver true inclusivity.

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Tracee Ellis Ross on Innovation, Team Building and Why ‘Challenge’ Marketing is Broken

Retail TouchPoints

Actress Tracee Ellis Ross started building her vision for Pattern Beauty while starring on the sitcom Girlfriends , but it was her lifelong experience as a curly girly (a woman with curled and coiled hair) that inspired the idea and was validated by generations of women with similar experiences. I wanted to actually create products that supported hair the way it grew out of its head not to straighten it or anything, Ross said during a conversation with Business of Fashion s Sheena Butler-Young

Marketing 279
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AI In The Aisles: The Executives Guide To Better In-Store Experiences

Speaker: Steve Worthy, MBA

The rapid rise of AI-powered displays, touchless technology, and sensory marketing is reshaping the future of in-store engagement. Yet for many retail executives, the real challenge is not identifying new tools - it is knowing which signals to trust, which inputs to prioritize, and how to architect decisions that elevate in-store leadership rather than dilute it.

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Scaling Your Ecommerce Business: Shopify Email vs. Klaviyo in 2025

365 Retail

In the fast-paced world of ecommerce, where growth and scalability define success, email marketing remains one of the most critical tools for driving customer engagement and revenue. According to Business Dasher, customers who receive email offers spend 138% more than those who dont. Two major players, Shopify Email and Klaviyo, stand out in the landscape of email marketing tools, each offering unique features to support businesses at various stages of growth.

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How being ‘positively dissatisfied’ kept M&S in fashion this Christmas

Retail Gazette

M&S has had another strong holiday season , with its clothing and home division outshining competitors and building on its recent resurgence. Despite McKinsey stating the wider fashion industrys outlook for 2025 appears to be a continuation of the sluggishness seen in 2024: revenue growth is expected to stabilize in the low single digits, M&S defied these odds with a 1.9% increase in sales over the 13 weeks leading up to 28 December.

Fashion 104
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Woolworths and Coles drew consumer ire for cost-of-living pressures in 2024

Inside Retail

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

Consumer 246
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Adaptive fashion hits the high street as Primark launches first men and women’s range with Victoria Jenkins

A1 Retail

The collection features more than 40 affordable and stylish wardrobe staples across womenswear and menswear, adapted to meet a range of needs Developed alongside award-winning adaptive fashion designer and disability campaigner Victoria Jenkins, the range will be available in 31 stores nationwide and through the 113 UK stores offering Click & Collect from Tuesday 28th January New research highlights the challenges and frustrations disabled people face when it comes to fashion and buying

Fashion 105
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Breaking The Commerce Bottleneck: Your SAP Exit Plan Starts Now

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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King Charles III, Peppa Pig and Wallace & Gromit help drive strong Christmas trading at Battersea Power Station as festive sales grow 13.4%

Retail Focus

Festive sales at Battersea Power Station increased by 13.4% in November and December 2024 and footfall grew by 11% compared to the same period in 2023, as the riverside neighbourhood celebrated its best Christmas to date. By the end of 2024, the riverside destination had welcomed more than 26 million visitors since the Grade II listed Power Station and Electric Boulevard, the neighbourhoods pedestrianised high street, opened to the public in October 2022.

ATS 163
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Coresight Predicts Store Closures will Spike to 15,000 This Year

Retail TouchPoints

Following a raft of stores closures in 2024, retail advisory firm Coresight Research predicts that closures will escalate further this year, to approximately 15,000. Store openings are expected to remain steady at approximately 5,800 (compared to 5,970 in 2024), but that would still represent a net loss of more than 9,000 stores. Supporting these expectations is the fact that more than 2,000 planned closures already are underway this year.

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Halfords Revs Up Omnichannel Customer Engagement with Aptos Technology

365 Retail

Aptos , a leader in unified commerce solutions, announced today that Halfords has recently extended its use of Aptos software to support its customer engagement and store operations strategies. Halfords is leveraging Aptos POS, CRM and Sales Audit applications, with each of these solutions working together to help Halfords deliver inspiring journeys to millions of customers each year.

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Data: Shoppers fear Labour budget will trigger retail job cuts and price hikes

Retail Gazette

Shoppers across the UK are expressing growing concerns over the impact of the governments recent Budget, with many fearing job losses and price increases in the retail sector. New research by the Retail Technology Show (RTS) found 62% of consumers worry that rising labour costs, triggered by National Insurance and National Minimum Wage hikes, will lead to fewer staff in stores.

Returns 94
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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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Dreamfarm’s Alex Gransbury on the price of patents and Kmart’s Anko juicer

Inside Retail

Last week, a new addition to Kmarts product range made Alex Gransbury rethink his approach to patenting. He was on a call with one of his Dreamfarm employees when he first heard that one of his inventions had been copied and pasted. For Gransbury, who has invented products in a MacGyver-like fashion for over 22 years, designing new products that are fit-for-purpose and exceed customer expectations.

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The Pop-Up Club extends innovative retail business in two major UK city locations

A1 Retail

Successful pop-up shopping experience The Pop-Up Club has extended two of its retail leases in major UK cities, Manchester and London, as it continues to champion its collection of independent traders and retailers The Pop-Up Club has continued its efforts to highlight the UK high street as it announces extensions for two of its current retail units until the end of the month for Manchester Arndale and 27th January for Londons One New Change.

Location 105
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How Does the Super Bowl Affect the Retail Sector?

Retail Focus

Not only is the Super Bowl an important game for American fans, its one of the most significant sporting events of all. Across the world, close to 100 million people tune in for the final game of the NFL season, and to enjoy all the drama of this showpiece occasion. Like most major events, the Super Bowl brings certain benefits to the retail sector.

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Navigating the Tariff Era: A Strategic Roadmap for Retailers

Retail TouchPoints

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

Apparel 278
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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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Dunelm Expands UK Manufacturing for Made-to-Measure Curtains, Blinds, and Shutters

365 Retail

Dunelm, the UKs largest homewares retailer, is doubling down on its UK manufacturing heritage by expanding its bespoke Made to Measure services for customers and further developing its offer across Curtains, Blinds and Shutters. Based in the Midlands, Dunelm is creating 60 new jobs as part of the expansion, increasing the number of colleagues at its manufacturing sites in the area to 310 in a boost to the local economy.

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Frasers Group confirms two-thirds of retail workers remain on zero-hours contracts

Retail Gazette

Frasers Group has confirmed that two-thirds of its retail staff remain on zero-hours contracts ahead of new legislation aimed to limit their use. The retail giant, which was recently booted from the FTSE 100, told MPs examining the proposals to improve protection for workers that 11,500 staff members remained on the contracts and were not given any compensation even if shifts were changed at the last minute.

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Day two at NRF: Pattern Beauty, Tommy Hilfiger and the power of storytelling

Inside Retail

If you don’t have your narrative set, someone else will tell your story, said Katie Welch, the chief marketing officer of Rare Beauty. That was one of the key messages delivered on the second day of Retails Big Show, the National Retail Federations (NRF) annual conference and expo, which is being held in New York City this week. Major players in the retail industry like Tracee Ellis Ross, the founder and co-CEO of Pattern Beauty; Tommy Hilfiger, founder of the iconic eponymous apparel bran

ATS 289
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Operational Disruptions: The Hidden Costs Of Retail Crime 

Retail Minded

Retail crime isnt just about stolen goods its a serious threat that can disrupt daily operations, impact employees and alienate customers. For independent store owners, these challenges ripple through the business, creating hurdles that go far beyond the financial losses of theft and making it harder to stay competitive in an already tough market. Unpacking The Hidden Costs When retailers think about the impact of crime, their first thought is often the monetary loss tied to stolen inventory.

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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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Aldi to invest over £40m in Scotland over the next two years

Retail Focus

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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AI Successes from L’Oréal, Lowe’s and Walmart Bring Context to the AI Conversation

Retail TouchPoints

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a headline topic at the National Retail Federations annual Big Show , and NVIDIA is undoubtedly one of the companies leading the industrys innovation in this sector. Typically known for its Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), which power breakthrough technologies for companies like Meta and Open AI , NVIDIA is now staking a claim in the retail industry by powering solutions for companies ranging from LOral to Lowes and Walmart.

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Battersea Power Station Celebrates Record-Breaking Festive Sales and Visitor Growth

365 Retail

Battersea Power Station experienced its most successful festive season to date, with sales increasing by 13.4% in November and December 2024 and footfall growing by 11% compared to the same period in 2023. This record-breaking Christmas trading period capped off a strong year for the riverside neighbourhood, which welcomed over 26 million visitors since its grand opening in October 2022.

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Majestic Wine hails ‘best-ever Christmas’ with record sales

Retail Gazette

Majestic Wine has reported its best-ever Christmas as it served a record number of shoppers over the key festive period. The wine specialist saw sales rise 1.9% over the six weeks to 30 December, beating its previous record for festive sales set in 2023. It said its performance was boosted by the launch of seven new stores last year and the rise of its growing specialist on-trade supply arm, Majestic Commercial.

Marketing 111
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New Research-Backed Strategies to Empower Managers as Culture & Engagement Leaders

Speaker: Beth Sunshine, SVP, Up Your Culture

When culture isn’t consistently lived out across the organization, engagement suffers—and it often starts with a disconnect at the top. In this session, Beth Sunshine, SVP of Up Your Culture at The Center for Sales Strategy, will reveal how HR and executive leaders can close the gap between vision and execution by equipping frontline and mid-level managers to become culture carriers.