Sat.Jul 31, 2021 - Fri.Aug 06, 2021

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Cash still king, says new research

Talking Retail

A majority of transactions in convenience stores are still made in cash despite the increase in card payments during the pandemic, says new research. But there is a geographical divide in the UK, with southern counties less reliant on cash than those further north, adds the PayPoint data. County Down in Northern Ireland is the. This story continues at Cash still king, says new research.

ATS 137
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Survey: Retail sales increased 10.9% in July

Mass Relators

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Retail sales in the U.S. grew for the 11th consecutive month in July, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, a survey that measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment. Sales for the month increased 10.9% compared to July 2020. That figure, which excludes automotive sales and gasoline, is nearly quadruple the average year-over-year growth in the month of July over the last four years, which was 2.9%.

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Four Retail Tech Trends to Anticipate this Holiday Season

Retail TouchPoints

Throughout the past year, the retail industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. Although shoppers are currently flocking back to brick-and-mortar stores, research shows that 43% of U.S. consumers plan to regularly shop online for products they used to buy in stores — something that’s likely to become the norm for many Americans. With the 2021 holiday shopping season a few months away, it’s clear retailers need to find new and exciting ways to attract shoppers and create an impactful exper

Checkout 317
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Snap lockdowns weighing on ‘battle-weary’ retailers, public

Inside Retail

Australia’s battle with the Delta variant of Covid-19 is continuing to shut businesses down, with the state of Victoria re-entering lockdown, rejoining New South Wales and Queensland in shutting non-essential retail and restricting citizens movements in light of surging cases. Victoria’s state premier Dan Andrews said he would have preferred to wait to reintroduce restrictions, but that, as seen in Sydney’s case, they only get one chance to act before the more infectious strain gets away from he

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From Data to Decisions: Maximizing Retail Potential with AI

Speaker: David Azoulay, Marc Stracuzza, Román Tejada, and guest speaker Sucharita Kodali

Imagine a retail landscape where every interaction is personalized, every decision informed, and every opportunity maximized 🤔✨ Join us for an exploratory journey into the heart of AI-driven retail innovation. We’ll unveil the transformative potential of AI and data analytics in shaping the future of omnichannel personalization and e-commerce.

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Amid Rising Prices, Demand for Fair Prices is Rising Too

Retail Focus

For those retailers creaking back to healthy business levels after the seesaw demand cycles, supply chain upheaval, Brexit trade disruption and forced store closures, an unwelcome new specter is rearing its head: inflation. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index, global food prices rose consecutively for the 12th month in May 2021, reaching its highest level since May 2014.

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Walmart says corporate and management-level workers must get COVID-19 vaccine

Retail Wire

Walmart has decided that its corporate staff and management-level employees must get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 4. The company has also begun a phased-in approach to bringing employees back to the office who have been working remotely during the pandemic.

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Bunnings MD Mike Schneider: “I have the best retail job in the country”

Inside Retail

Last week, Bunnings managing director Mike Schneider joined Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra on the ARA podcast about how he began his career in retail, what a typical day looks like for him – and why he reckons he has the best retail job in the country. Here is an edited excerpt from their conversation. Paul Zahra: You’ve been at Bunnings for 16 years and held various roles since becoming managing director in 2016.

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Hybrid Retail: Find the right mix of channels for your shoppers

Tokinomo

Retailers and brands are constantly adapting to new trends. When the pandemic started to affect the way we live and shop, retailers knew that things would look different after restrictions were lifted. However, nobody expected this massive digitalization in all industries.

Shopping 240
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Cadogan signs Soho Home Studio flagship

Retail Focus

Cadogan today announces the signing of Soho Home Studio to the King’s Road, Chelsea – set to open in September 2021. This will be Soho Home’s first flagship for the homeware brand from Soho House. In addition to showcasing Soho Home’s collections, the interiors destination will offer a new retail concept, providing access to interior design services, a programme of workshops and events, and a rotating gallery of member collaborations for customers to discover and enjoy.

Fashion 189
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Sweaty Betty Sold to Wolverine Worldwide as Women’s Activewear Market Heats Up

Retail TouchPoints

Wolverine Worldwide has acquired Sweaty Betty in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $410 million. The deal will help Wolverine shift to a more digitally-focused business model and position the company as a leader in the women’s activewear category. Sweaty Betty CEO Julia Straus will continue to lead the brand, reporting directly to Brendan Hoffman, President of Wolverine Worldwide.

Marketing 306
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The Personalization Playbook: 2024 Strategies

Did you know—74% of IT leaders are looking to improve their tech stack to offer better personalization? It’s impossible to ignore the importance of personalization, but it comes with challenges. How do you do it with a tight budget? What about customer privacy and the use of data? The Personalization Playbook is packed with research and insights from Orium, Talon.One, and Bloomreach and gives IT leaders answers to these tough questions, helping them shape 2024 strategies for personalization.

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Meet the woman behind Vietnam’s fast-growing King Coffee

Inside Retail

An untold number of coffee shops across the globe have temporarily or permanently closed at the height of the pandemic but Vietnam’s TNI King Coffee has bucked the trend, opening its first store in the US early this year and pushing forward with expansion plans. “Many businesses were affected during the pandemic, but we saw that there was still a huge opportunity for expansion,” TNI King Coffee founder and CEO Le Hoang Diep Thao told Inside Retail.

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MAP Violations: How, When, & Why You Need to Monitor & Eliminate Them

Intelligence Node

eCommerce has grown tremendously in the last year and a half. While it was already on its way to mass adoption, the pandemic further accelerated the shift to digital and birthed many first-time online shoppers. The growth in eCommerce has opened many new avenues for brands and is a window into the future of retail. […]. The post MAP Violations: How, When, & Why You Need to Monitor & Eliminate Them appeared first on Blog.

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White Rose on cloud dine with ProCook signing

Retail Focus

Landsec has announced the opening of the UK’s leading kitchenware brand, ProCook, at White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds. The new store is the second for ProCook following the recent launch at Bluewater. ProCook is also the ninth brand to have joined White Rose or upsized at the centre in the last 12 months. The 2,786 sq ft White Rose ProCook store stocks a wide range of cookware, tableware, and kitchen accessories, covering every kitchen item needed by the home cook.

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Best Buy to Invest up to $10M in VC Firm Focused on BIPOC Startups

Retail TouchPoints

Brown Venture Group , a venture capital firm focused exclusively on Black, Latinx and Indigenous emerging tech startups, will receive an investment of up to $10 million from Best Buy. The fund’s goal is to help break down systemic barriers for BIPOC entrepreneurs, including lack of access to capital. Black and Latinx founders represented only 2.6% of funding in 2020.

Planning 306
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Brick & Mortar Retail Relevance: How to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Speaker: Jay Black, Senior Account Executive

Let's set the record straight: in-store retail isn't dead - it's evolving! Faced with the digital age and the demands of omnichannel shopping, some retailers are thriving while others are struggling to adapt. Join Jay Black in this exclusive session as he explores the strategies that set successful stores apart, including: Crafting unique and unforgettable in-store experiences 🛍️ Mastering the art of retail demands 🛒 Navigating inventory challenges in today's climate 📦 an

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H&M opens up donations at checkout to support vaccinating kids worldwide

Inside Retail

The Australian arm of fast-fashion brand H&M is launching an initiative today to help vaccinate children against preventable diseases by partnering with UNICEF. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, 60 life-saving vaccination programs have been disrupted, putting children worldwide at risk of contracting preventable diseases such as diphtheria, measles and polio.

Checkout 264
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Coffee prices are going up again

Retail Wire

The worst frost in years has damaged the Brazilian coffee crop and that, along with rising freight costs, means companies and consumers will soon be paying more to get their morning cup of Joe. The price fo Arabica beans had already doubled over the past year due to drought conditions in coffee growing regions and the latest news will only send those prices higher.

Consumer 190
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Time for retailers to take stock of shipping costs; playing the waiting game won’t win

Retail Focus

Claire Webb from Advanced Supply Chain Group looks at why playing a waiting game won’t help retailers beat soaring shipping costs. Many retailers are looking to protect margins against rapidly rising shipping costs. A favoured way for trying to achieve this is to delay the placement of orders, with the assumption transportation prices will soon peak and rates will start to drop.

Shipping 182
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Amazon FBA Boosts Sustainability Efforts With Two Circular Commerce Programs

Retail TouchPoints

Amazon has introduced two new Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) programs to help merchants selling on Amazon resell customer-returned or overstocked items. Once fully implemented, the programs are expected to save more than 300 million products from the landfill each year by giving them subsequent lives. FBA Liquidations will provider sellers the option to use Amazon’s existing wholesale liquidation partners and technology to recoup potential losses on returned and overstock inventory.

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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr

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High and mighty: The future of cannabis products in Australia

Inside Retail

While the subject of cannabis legalisation still divides countries around the world, there is no denying the influence that legal cannabis products are having on retail and consumer goods. According to Grand View Research, the global cannabidiol (CBD) market size was valued at US$2.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.2 per cent from 2021 to 2028.

Consumer 264
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IKEA to debut Swedish meatball-scented candle

Retail Wire

IKEA is known, among other things, for the Swedish meatballs sold in its stores. Now, the retail furniture giant is looking to build on that appeal by including a new candle, scented to smell like its popular food dish, as part of a sweepstakes that will run from Aug. 6 through Aug. 22.

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M&S to upsize into new anchor unit at White Rose Leeds

Retail Focus

Landsec has announced that M&S has signed to relocate into a new anchor store within White Rose Leeds, the out of town retail & leisure destination in Yorkshire. The bespoke unit includes nearly 80,000 sq ft of dedicated trading space. The new M&S store, formerly occupied by Debenhams which closed permanently in May this year, represents a significant upsize for the brand at the destination.

ATS 173
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Making It Work! Same-Day Delivery Edition

Retail TouchPoints

Omnichannel retailers that want to exceed shopper expectations and maximize revenue results should look no further than the last mile. Same-day delivery in particular has become a key way for retailers with store networks to innovate and differentiate. Get the scoop on the latest delivery trends, challenges and best-in-class examples during our next installment of Making it Work!

ATS 290
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Mapping Digital Transformation: Retail’s Strategic Shift

Speaker: Jennifer Wright, Michael Scholz, Jasmin Guthmann, and Scott Canney

Digital transformation in retail is so much more than new technology. You need to get your whole organization, from entry-level workers to executives, on board with the new tech, new skills, and culture changes that digital transformation brings. Leading this mindset shift can be a daunting task… but that’s where this webinar comes in! Join our panel of experts as they guide you through the challenges of digital transformation, preparing you to avoid common mistakes and make the most of incredib

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Amazon Australia offers payment for staff to get vaccinated

Inside Retail

As Australia gears up to chase a country-wide vaccination target of 70 per cent of the population, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison stating that lockdowns could be a “thing of the past” as soon as next year, business leaders around the country are finding ways to incentivise their workers to get onboard. Amazon Australia, for example, is offering a special ‘vaccination benefit’ payment of $140 for eligible fulfilment and delivery station workers who get fully vaccinated on the advice of a heal

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Saint of Athens jewellery store designed to resemble 1960s swimming pool

Dezeen

Creative agency Saint of Athens has used cool blue tiles throughout this jewellery store in Mykonos, Greece , for brand Gavello to make it resemble a "luxury 60s swimming pool ". Saint of Athens worked with Dive Architects to make the jewellery store stand out from the plethora of nearby retail stores. It includes light blue tiles, lockers and a pool ladder.

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When Automating Processes, Some Win Bigger Than Others

Cisco Retail

The benefits of automating IT and business processes run the gamut, from better customer experiences (CX) and greater employee productivity, to decreased costs, increased revenue, and more. But organizations with highly mature operations reap even greater benefits than their low-maturity operational counterparts. Why? Because their embrace of automation gives them greater adaptability, resilience, and agility.

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The Post-Pandemic Fashion Industry Makeover

Retail TouchPoints

It has been a year since the pandemic rocked a fashion industry that was already feeling the pressure of trying to keep pace with consumer shifts toward digital, ethical sourcing and eco-friendly products. 2021 will continue to be an uncertain year, with business growth slow to pick up for the industry. The stage is set, however, for strategic players to carve out a new growth agenda and reinvent their brand.

Fashion 290
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Planning the Architecture of Your Modular DXP

Are you considering moving away from a monolith platform and over to composable architecture? Join experts from Google Cloud, GroupBy, and Orium as they discuss the benefits of moving to a modular digital experience platform. In this masterclass, uncover key indicators that show your brand is ready for a modular DXP, and learn how to lay the foundation for composable commerce.

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Getting to the core of what consumers want, need and expect

Inside Retail

Thanks to its digital-first mentality and awareness of consumer trends, clients of Tryzens grow at over two-times the industry average. As businesses continue to look to connect with customers on a deeper level, driving loyalty and retention, one key e-commerce trend that Tryzens anticipates accelerating in importance is the personalisation of the user experience.

Consumer 264
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Zero Waste with Taste: Startup Uses AI to Drive Sustainable Fashion

Nvidia

Sustainability isn’t just a choice for consumers to make. It’s an opportunity for companies to lead. AI startup Heartdub seams together fashion and technology to let designers and creators display physical fabrics and garments virtually — and help clothing companies achieve zero-waste manufacturing. The company’s software digitizes textiles and then simulates how clothes look on the human body.

Fashion 144
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Why industrial ethernet switches? Putting the “purpose” in purpose-built

Cisco Retail

If you’re going hiking, you need hiking boots—not dress shoes. In the same way, if you’re connecting assets in an industrial environment, you need an industrial ethernet switch, not an enterprise switch. Here’s what’s different about industrial ethernet switches. Tight spaces: round pegs don’t fit in square holes. Industrial Ethernet switches bring high-speed connectivity outside traditional office buildings, factories, ports and terminals, railways, ships, energy farms, or mines.

Shipping 145
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Product Searches Reflect Indoor-Outdoor Split: Headphones, Stationary Bikes and Lipstick Pique Shoppers’ Interest

Retail TouchPoints

The summer of 2021 has been defined by shoppers looking to get back outside and enjoy the warm weather, but work-from-home and back-to-school essentials remained at the top of consumers’ minds, according to data from Verizon Media. So even though shoppers spent plenty of time outdoors, their overall habits still reflect the way they spent most of 2020.

Outdoor 279
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Exploring the Advantages and Hurdles of Direct Store Deliveries

Direct Store Delivery, or DSD, is a common practice among global suppliers and retailers – like PepsiCo, Frito Lay, CVS, and Dollar General – and its popularity is growing, with the global DSD market expected to reach $1.19 trillion by 2027. Download this eBook for exclusive insights into direct store deliveries, challenges, benefits, and future trends.