Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 3, 2024

Long viewed as a necessary evil, the retail returns process is emerging as an unexpected avenue for growth and customer engagement. In the rapidly expanding ecommerce market, projected to reach $3 billion in 2023, a significant 20% to 30% of online purchases end up being returned. This substantial return rate highlights a vital opportunity for retail leaders: by revamping the often-overlooked returns process, retailers can unlock a new avenue for driving customer satisfaction and business growth

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Returns Drop-Shipping Customer Experience Customer Retention 259

Retail Dive

JANUARY 2, 2024

From new marketing techniques to consumers spending despite inflation, here are the big takeaways from the latest holiday season.

Retail Trends 131

Retail Trends Consumer Marketing 131

Wiser

JANUARY 4, 2024

Companies continually grapple with the best approach to set prices that would not only cover costs but also attract and retain customers. One such approach to consider is economy pricing. Adopting certain pricing strategies could mean the difference between a thriving business and one that struggles to keep its doors open. The question that arises, however, is whether economy pricing is the right fit for every business.

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Consumer Inventory Management Marketing Management 145

Retail Wire

JANUARY 3, 2024

As we approach the second month of the year, love is definitely in the air, and so is the frenzy for Target's limited-edition Valentine's Day Stanley Cups.

ATS 147

ATS 147

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 5, 2024

Ghalia BOUSTANI. Senior Retail Consultant at Univers Retail | Published author | Visiting lecturer. Luxury retail has undergone a significant transformation driven by digital technology and changing consumer expectations. The term ‘phygitalisation’ is used to describe the fusion of physical and digital realms to create a seamless and enhanced customer experience.

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Customer Experience Supply Chain Management Clienteling Management 147

Inside Retail

JANUARY 3, 2024

Retail activity has been a defining facet of cities since antiquity. The Greek Agora and Roman Forum may be viewed as the original CBDs – central business districts, or what urban planners call activity centres. Retail spaces have evolved over time. Urbanisation, mass production and the rise of conspicuous consumption led to the high street and CBD dominating the retail landscape across the Western world from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century.

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Department Stores Shopping Outdoor Consumer 147

Retail Wire

JANUARY 1, 2024

China's manufacturing scene experienced a significant pullback in December, marking its third consecutive month of contraction and underscoring the persisting lethargy in the world's second-biggest economy.

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RIS News

JANUARY 3, 2024

Another holiday season is behind us, and retailers will now begin reflecting on their performance. Some early results show U.S. retail sales during the 2023 holiday season grew by 3.1% year-over-year, falling short of predictions and the previous year's figures.

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Consumer 107

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 2, 2024

JD.com has won a lawsuit against rival Alibaba Group in the High People’s Court of Beijing, which fined Alibaba 1 billion yuan ( $140 million) for engaging in monopolistic practices. JD.com had sued Alibaba and its ecommerce divisions, Zhejiang Tmall Network and Zhejiang Tmall Technology, for practicing “choosing one of two” behaviors — essentially saying to suppliers that if they sold to JD.com, they would not be allowed to sell on Alibaba.

Marketing 269

Marketing Planning Consumer 269

Inside Retail

JANUARY 3, 2024

Starbucks Coffee Company has started accepting reusable cups for beverages pre-ordered online and at its drive-thrus at all company-operated and participating licensed stores across the US and Canada. Starbucks is a founding member of the NextGen Consortium, which aims to accelerate sustainable and circular solutions and reduce single-use plastics in food service packaging.

ATS 290

ATS Fulfillment 290

Speaker: David Nisbet, Everett Zufelt, and Michaela Weber

Once upon a time, in the vast realm of online commerce, there lived a humble checkout button overlooked by many. Yet, within its humble click lay the power to transform a mere visitor into a loyal customer. 🧐 💡 Getting checkout right can mark the difference between a successful sale and an abandoned cart, yet many businesses fail to make payments a part of their commerce strategy even when it has a direct impact on revenue.

Checkout

Retail Wire

JANUARY 5, 2024

The nation has witnessed a widespread uptick in fast-food prices, primarily attributed to the escalating operational costs, especially labor.

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Retail Focus

JANUARY 3, 2024

While the retail sector outlook for 2024 is expected to be muted, hampered by ongoing macroeconomic challenges, weakened consumer demand and low economic growth prospects, retailers mustn’t let stagnation stifle innovation and future opportunities, the KPMG/RetailNext Retail Think Tank (RTT) , an independent board of retail experts, warns. With the UK economy set to tread water in 2024, the RTT expects this will impact growth within the retail sector.

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Beauty and Health Consumer Supermarket Returns 162

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 2, 2024

Costco workers in Norfolk, Va. have voted to join the Teamsters Local 822, with the union calling this its first organizing victory at the wholesale retailer in two decades. The 238 -worker group will join more than 18,000 Teamsters at Costco nationwide. Successful unionization efforts in the retail industry have been relatively rare, but they may pick up steam this year following a strong year for labor in 2023, with successful strikes by the United Auto Workers against the Big Three carmakers

Wholesale 292

Wholesale ATS Store Operations 292

Inside Retail

JANUARY 2, 2024

Levi Strauss & Co’s Eureka Innovation Lab is located on a quiet, dead-end street near Coit Tower in San Francisco. Unassuming from the outside, the brick warehouse is a hive of activity within. Sewing machines whir, washing machines thump and lasers beep as they precisely cut holes into raw denim. Hundreds of jeans in every shade of blue hang on the walls and mysterious trunks covered in stickers from around the world are stacked wherever there’s room, while jazz music plays in the backgroun

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Drop-Shipping Fashion Shipping Location 277

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

Shopping

Retail Wire

JANUARY 3, 2024

On Tuesday, Apple fell by almost 3.6% to a low that has not been experienced in seven weeks after Barclays downgraded the shares due to concerns that demand for its devices will still be fragile in 2024.

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Retail Gazette

JANUARY 3, 2024

Sainsbury’s has been named as the big winner over Christmas as grocery sales surpassed the £13bn mark in December for the first time. The supermarket chain saw its sales jump 9.3% in the four weeks to 24 December, achieving its highest market share since December 2020 at 15.8%, according to analysts at Kantar. Consumers spent £13.7bn in the run-up to Christmas, the research noted, with average household spending up 6% to £477 across the month.

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Supermarket Accounting Promotions Consumer 125

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 5, 2024

Personalization is at something of a crossroads. The New Year saw a key step in the coming deprecation of third-party cookies, which have been one of marketers’ most powerful tools for tracking online activity for many years. A small group ( 1% ) of Google Chrome users are now eligible for Tracking Protection , which restricts the use of these cookies by default.

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Consumer Marketing Planning ATS 283

Inside Retail

JANUARY 4, 2024

AI is a non-negotiable for retailers. As the driving force behind a new era of hyper-personalisation, efficiency and sustainable retail experiences, its impact on the way we shop cannot be understated. So as more and more retailers integrate the benefits of AI into their growth strategy, what will be next for this transformative technology? And how will it shape the way we shop?

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Consumer Customer Experience Department Stores Shopping 266

Advertiser: ZoomInfo

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

Promotions

Retail Wire

JANUARY 2, 2024

ASML Holding NV, a Dutch manufacturer of high-end chipmaking equipment, has discontinued some of its shipments to China following a request from the Biden administration.

ATS 278

ATS 278

Retail Gazette

JANUARY 3, 2024

The Body Shop has become the first global beauty brand to achieve 100% vegan product formulations across all lines. The beauty retailer has had its ranges – skincare, body care, haircare, makeup and fragrance – certified by The Vegan Society as 100% vegan just two years after it set itself the target. To celebrate the accreditation, The Body Shop has launched its ‘ Not Yes!

Shopping 125

Shopping 125

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 2, 2024

To drive customer retention and loyalty, most brands and retailers continue to rely on purchase discounts ( 77% ) and loyalty program points ( 61% ), according to Retail TouchPoints research. However, a Deloitte survey reveals that consumers’ loyalty program preferences and expectations are evolving. While financial benefits are still top of mind — largely thanks to inflation pressures and tightened household budgets — consumers are increasingly seeking services and experiences that truly reflec

Drop-Shipping 263

Drop-Shipping Consumer Customer Retention Shipping 263

Inside Retail

JANUARY 3, 2024

Europe-based home furnishing chain Habitat has shut down all of its operations, just a month after collapsing into receivership. The company’s trustees have initiated a final liquidation due to the lack of cash flow and a recovery plan. As a result, all of the chain’s 25 stores in France will close and 383 employees will lose their jobs. The fate of five other shops in Barcelona, Geneva, Madrid, Milan and Zurich is unclear.

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Home Furnishings Supermarket Planning Shopping 264

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Retail Wire

JANUARY 5, 2024

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc.'s stock is plummeting. The company's shares marked a record low yet again this Thursday, closing at a meager $5.30, down by 5%. This makes it the fourth day in a row of losses for the movie theater chain.

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ATS 264

Retail Gazette

JANUARY 5, 2024

Asda private equity owner TDR Capital is set to give evidence to the Business and Trade select committee on 9 January. The move follows evidence given by both GMB Union and the grocer’s bosses at a committee session before Christmas, which Asda co-owner TDR Capital did not attend. GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: “It’s right that MPs will finally get the chance to hold TDR Capital to account on their co-ownership of Asda. “Too often shadowy private equity bosses are a

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Supermarket Grocer Finance Accounting 123

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 2, 2024

Nike has laid out a plan to cut up to $2 billion in costs over the next three years in a bid to “accelerate future growth while building a faster, more efficient” organization, executives shared during the company’s fiscal 2024 Q2 earnings call. The company plans to trim expenses in ways including simplifying its product assortment , increasing automation and use of technology , and leveraging its scale to drive greater efficiencies across the business, although no details on the form these init

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Planning Wholesale Promotions Management 262

Inside Retail

JANUARY 2, 2024

The Body Shop has earned the title of being the first global beauty brand offering 100 per cent vegan product formulations certified by The Vegan Society. Back in 2021, just 60 per cent of the cosmetic brand’s products already carried the Vegan Society trademark. The retailer has been campaigning against animal testing in the cosmetics industry since 1989. “We were the first beauty company to fight against animal testing in cosmetics.

Shopping 260

Shopping 260

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.

Customer Experience

Retail Wire

JANUARY 4, 2024

Apple is settling a lawsuit that accused the tech giant of allowing fraudsters to exploit its iTunes gift cards and pocket a portion of the stolen funds.

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Retail Gazette

JANUARY 4, 2024

Footfall across the UK fell last month after December’s heavy rain pushed shoppers online, the latest data by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic IQ shows. Total footfall dropped 5% in the five weeks to December 30, down from a 1.7% fall in November, dragged down by a 7.4% plummet in shopper numbers in Shopping centres. Retail parks experienced a 4.8% fall in footfall, while high street saw shopper numbers sink 4.2% over the Christmas period.

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Shopping 120

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 4, 2024

Online holiday sales increased 4.9% YoY, reaching $222.1 billion for the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023, according to Adobe Analytics. November’s sales total of $123.5 billion topped December’s $98.6 billion , fueled by strong Cyber Week sales of $38 billion. Consumers responded to steep discounts in key ecommerce categories, including electronics, where discounts peaked at 31% off listed prices (versus 25% in 2022); toys ( 28% versus 34% last year); and apparel ( 24% versus 19% ).

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Payment Services Apparel Consumer Shopping 248

Inside Retail

JANUARY 4, 2024

This year the Australian government is introducing a series of measures to restrict the availability of vapes, starting today. The new reforms address loopholes in the current laws that allow easy access to highly addictive, flavoured, cheap, and harmful vaping products that are marketed to kids. Vaping products will still be available through a prescription for anyone using them to quit smoking.

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Advertising Management Consumer Marketing 246

Advertiser: FourKites

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.

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