2024

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Exclusive: Automated Voice Agents are Hurting Customer Retention

Retail TouchPoints

Everyone’s been there — you try your mightiest to get the machine on the other end of the phone to understand what you need, until you give in to frustration and just begin to scream “representative.” Generative AI was supposed to change all that — with this magical new technology, automated voice agents were going to be smarter, more responsive and, most importantly, more accurate.

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BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, and Volkswagen Used Banned Chinese Parts

Retail Wire

BMW, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), and Volkswagen (VW) have been found to have utilized components from a banned Chinese firm, implicating potential ties to forced labor practices.

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Prezzee sets revenue record as membership reaches 4 million

Inside Retail

Digital gift card platform Prezzee has more than tripled its sales for the 18 months ended December 2023, according to its financial report lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Card sales during the period grew 205 per cent from $1.1 billion to $3.4 billion, while revenue jumped 178 per cent from $58 million to $161 million.

Marketing 317
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Co-op launches brand campaign to ‘re-introduce core values’

Retail Gazette

Co-op has launched one of its biggest ever brand campaigns to encourage the UK to turn into a nation of co-operators. The ‘Owned by You. Right By You’ campaign highlights the social and financial benefits of a co-operative business model, and comes as a new survey by the retailer found that more than 50% of consumers don’t understand what it means when a business is a co-operative or a mutual.

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A Blueprint for B2B Commerce

In the B2B space, digital expectations are higher than ever. Consumer platforms have made online experiences incredibly user-friendly and efficient, adding pressure for businesses to follow suit to meet the expectations of the modern B2B buyer. Take inspiration from B2C commerce strategies and adapt them for B2B digital interactions. Learn to create engaging and well-crafted consumer shopping experiences with insights and tools from Orium’s report, A Blueprint to B2B Commerce.

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Black farmers call on Tractor Supply CEO to resign following diversity about-face

Retail Dive

John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, a Tractor Supply shareholder and fourth-generation farmer, said he has tried to reach out to the company’s top executive.

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Co-op first to announce move to 100% British strawberries

Retail Times

Retail Times publishes international & UK retail news covering products, data, tech, packaging, people, research, comment and more besides! Co-op is the first UK retailer to announce it is moving to 100% British Strawberries across its entire own brand range – hitting shelves two weeks ahead of last year and just in time for St George’s Day. From 23rd April, the leading convenience retailer will exclusively offer only British fresh strawberries across its offering […] If you want

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ICA Stop supermarket designed as a "culinary dream come true"

Dezeen

Swedish studio Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor and design agency Snask have revamped a supermarket in Täby, adding pastel hues and materials such as terrazzo and wood to "turn shopping into an experience". The design was intended as a facelift for the store, which is part of Sweden's ICA supermarket chain and had been given many smaller additions over the years without an overall design direction.

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State Farm Issues Ultimatum to California

Retail Wire

California's largest insurer, State Farm, has issued a stark ultimatum to the California's Department of Insurance: approve significant rate hikes for home insurance or face the company's exit from the market.

Marketing 321
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3 Brands Making AR the Star of the Customer Experience

Retail TouchPoints

Augmented reality (AR) has evolved from a novelty into a critical investment for retailers that want to capture audience attention and dollars. Businesses that offer AR-driven experiences are 41% more likely to capture consumer attention than those that do not, according to Deloitte, and 66% of consumers are interested in using this tech while shopping.

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Tyson Foods Faces Boycott After Report Claims Company Plans To Hire Asylum Seekers

Retail Wire

Tyson Foods, the well-known food processing company, finds itself in hot water as calls for a boycott surge due to allegations of planning to employ migrants at its factories.

Planning 340
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How Harry Rosen Turns Targeted Personalization Data into Retail Loyalty

Speaker: Shaunna Bruton and Kailey Holmes

Unlock the potential of customer data to create personalized retail experiences that resonate with your audience. This webinar will explore the critical role of customer data in modern retail, providing you with strategies to collect, analyze, and apply data to enhance personalization. Learn from leading retailers, like Harry Rosen, and experts on how to turn data into actionable insights that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty.

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Google’s Anti-Cookie Effort Crumbles; Privacy Efforts in Flux

Retail TouchPoints

After more than four years of efforts to deprecate third-party cookies on its Chrome browser, Google has essentially given up the fight. In a July 22 blog , the VP of Google’s Privacy Sandbox Anthony Chavez acknowledged the pushback Google has received from publishers, brands and regulators as it sought to remove the online trackers. “In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice,” Chavez wrote.

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Move Past Hype to Focus on Value with AI Implementations in the POS Space

Retail TouchPoints

Businesses and organizations across virtually all markets and niches are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) could benefit their operations. Although the technology has been steadily advancing for decades, recent availability of large language models (LLMs) that make AI platforms easy to use have convinced business leaders that AI insights for their employees can just be a question-and-answer interaction away.

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Saks Parent HBC to Buy Neiman Marcus Group for $2.65 Billion, Including Investment from Amazon

Retail TouchPoints

Marking the culmination of nearly seven years of on-again, off-again negotiations, HBC , parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman , will acquire another storied luxury department store brand, Neiman Marcus , for $2.65 billion. Amazon will be an investor in the newly formed Saks Global , which also will include the Saks Off 5 th brand.

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Shopify’s Double-Edged Sword: Tackling Accounting Complexities with Automation

Retail TouchPoints

In an era when ecommerce is reshaping retail, platforms like Shopify have emerged as indispensable allies for businesses large and small. Shopify, originally a beacon for small and medium-sized enterprises, is now expanding its reach to larger corporations. However, this expansion brings to light a critical issue for CFOs and finance teams: the intricate and often underestimated task of recognizing and booking revenue in the ecommerce domain.

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Innovation Fest: Summer of AI

Join Bloomreach at Innovation Fest: Summer 2024, a virtual event, to explore the future of personalized marketing and merchandising! Along with the company’s top product experts, CEO Raj De Datta will provide an exclusive look at the company’s latest AI innovations reshaping the omnichannel experience. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to connect with fellow industry leaders and explore the latest trends in retail technology.

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How Amazon, Poshmark and Rolling Stone Use Livestreaming to Break out from the Ecommerce Grid

Retail TouchPoints

Today’s consumers, especially Gen Z ( 73% ) and millennials ( 62% ), prefer to buy from a brand that offers interactive experiences that go beyond the standard ecommerce grid. And there’s no denying that video, whether live or recorded, is proving a powerful medium to create those experiences in digital environments. In fact, a study commissioned by real-time engagement platform Agora found that 61% of respondents under the age of 55 are interested in livestream shopping experiences, with

Shopping 302
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Six Principles for Redefining Retail with Responsible AI

Retail TouchPoints

Generative AI (Gen AI) has brought about a seismic shift that’s reshaping customer interactions and business operations. As retailers ride the AI wave, it’s important to simultaneously address both the opportunities and responsibilities it brings. Gen AI, with its vast potential for enhancing efficiency and personalizing customer experiences, also comes with ethical considerations.

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Tech, Talent, and Partner Innovation is the Secret Sauce for Retailers to Stay Competitive

Retail TouchPoints

Put mildly, it has been a challenging few years for retailers. A historic pandemic with a double-whammy of supply chain and staffing issues as well as persistently high levels of inflation have up-ended a lot of industry norms and pushed consumers to increasing their scrutiny on where and how much they spend. Interestingly, coming off a summer spending spree, when credit card balances spiked in the third quarter to a $1.08 trillion record , we also just saw record-breaking spend online on Black

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Walgreens to Offer Free HIV and STD Testing at 550 Stores

Retail TouchPoints

For its National HIV Testing Day event on June 27, Walgreens will provide free testing for HIV and other STDs at a record 550 stores. No appointment is needed to get the tests, which typically provide results in 20 minutes or less, at any of these participating Walgreens stores. The retailer, which has been working with Greater Than HIV , a public information initiative of KFF , since 2011, has provided more than 82,000 free HIV tests through the in-store program, including more than 15,000 self

ATS 311
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Secrets of a Successful Sale: Optimizing Your Checkout Process

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.

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ARA predicts $1 billion cash splash for Mother’s Day

Inside Retail

Australian retailers are set to benefit from a surge in spending on Mother’s Day despite the current cost-of-living crunch, according to research conducted by the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in collaboration with market research company Roy Morgan. The study predicts that Australians will spend $995 million on Mother’s Day this year, which is $70 million or 7.5 per cent more than last year.

Planning 321
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ACCC sues The Good Guys over dodgy promotions

Inside Retail

JB Hi-Fi’s subsidiary The Good Guys is facing legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for alleged deceptive misrepresentations around its ‘StoreCash’ promotions. The ACCC said that The Good Guys ran 116 promotions between July 2019 and August last year, offering consumers a store credit or StoreCash if they spent a certain amount on qualifying products in its online or physical stores.

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Amazon Teams with Better Business Bureau to Sue Fake Review Site

Retail TouchPoints

Amazon and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) have jointly filed a lawsuit seeking to shut down ReviewServiceUSA.com, a site that allegedly attempted to sell fake positive reviews for Amazon product listing pages or BBB business profiles. The suit, filed in King County Superior Court, is the latest effort by Amazon to stem the tide of fake reviews. On its own, Amazon blocked more than 250 million suspected fake reviews on its ecommerce site in 2023.

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Aesop’s comeback: Beauty brand to return to David Jones stores

Inside Retail

Aesop will return to David Jones next month as part of the department store chain’s strategy to boost its luxury beauty offerings. Aesop’s full product range of skincare, body care, fragrance and home essentials will be available on David Jones’s website starting August. The brand will later launch at Chadstone Shopping Centre and Bourke Street Mall as part of the stores’ $15 million beauty hall redevelopment.

Returns 278
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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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Drummond Golf put up for sale after 22 years

Inside Retail

The owners of Australia’s biggest golf retailer Drummond Golf are looking to sell the company after 22 years of ownership. Lion Advisory has been hired to assist in the sale process, which includes 100 per cent of Drummond Golf’s master franchise, the Big Swing Golf master franchise, and an e-commerce business. Other assets include Drummond’s interests in 17 company-owned stores and its 66 per cent shareholding in wholesale golf company Golf Works.

Wholesale 306
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Sam’s Club Makes Controversial Membership Policy Changes

Retail Wire

Sam's Club has quietly implemented a policy that requires shoppers to pay extra for access during designated hours, a revelation that sparked discussions among concerned consumers across various social platforms.

Consumer 299
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Traceability is the Foundation of Supply Chain Due Diligence

Retail TouchPoints

A seismic shift is on the horizon for retail businesses operating in Europe. In December 2023, the European Parliament and the European Council reached a provisional agreement on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), a sweeping law that mandates companies to actively monitor and rectify any human rights and environmental risks within their global supply chains.

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Myer seeks to merge with Premier Investments’ Apparel Brands

Inside Retail

Department store group Myer has proposed to combine its business with Premier Investments’ Apparel Brands, comprising Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Portmans, Jacqui E and Dotti. The proposal is non-binding, indicative and conditional. Myer proposes an all-scrip merger in which it would acquire Premier’s Apparel Brands – previously called the Just Group before Premier acquired the business in 2008 – in exchange for the issue of new Myer shares to Premier.

Apparel 306
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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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Country Road Group may layoff staff in planned restructure

Inside Retail

Country Road Group is set to restructure its fashion retail business, which is expected to result in massive staff layoffs, The Australian has reported. The company, currently facing sexual harassment and workplace bullying allegations , has been struggling to generate sales, according to the report. Inside Retail has reached out to Country Road Group for comment.

Planning 271
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Solving the Challenges of All-AI Ecommerce Search with a Hybrid Approach

Retail TouchPoints

Once the purview of science fiction, artificial intelligence (AI) has now permeated our everyday lives — from the home devices that recommend songs for our playlists, to the apps we use to monitor commuter traffic, to the chatbots that pop up to ask if we need any help. Unbeknownst to many consumers, AI has become a powerful force steering online searches — serving up search results that, ideally, match exactly what we’re looking for.

Consumer 267
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Transforming Retail Spaces for Today’s Generation of Shoppers

Retail TouchPoints

The mall is experiencing a resurgence, defying predictions of its demise. This retail renaissance is not just a return to traditional shopping spaces but also signifies a shift in the shoppers’ culture, expectations and behaviors. Fueled by a desire for experiential interactions, expanded leisure and dining offers, personalized shopping journeys and the integration of digital elements, malls are becoming hubs of innovation and adaptation in addition to their social elements and place as our new

Returns 321
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Keys for Achieving Sustainability in Retail Supply Chains

Retail TouchPoints

In today’s global economy, the demand for sustainable business practices is rising, particularly in the retail industry. Consumers are increasingly aware and conscious of the social, environmental and human rights impacts of their purchases, prompting retailers to rethink their supply chain strategies. The recent EU-wide legislative changes also are affecting companies worldwide that trade with the EU.

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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.