Every retailer envisions the ideal shopping experience to end with customer satisfaction. The picture painted is of a smiling customer entering the store, browsing and selecting products, making the payment, and checking out delighted with the purchase. However, this experience is often plagued with crowded stores, stockouts, inadequate or absent store associates, and perpetually long […]

It’s no surprise that, in the midst of this pandemic, the retail industry is in severe crisis. Retailers’ fortunes have worsened as a result of the global pandemic. Delivering the same customer experience across multiple channels becomes tiresome after a while. As a retailer, half the battle is already won, if the right tools are […]

  Poor inventory management is one of the biggest reasons for inefficiency, negative customer experience, and the resulting loss. This problem becomes more impactful when you’re selling a wide range of products and have only a limited space to store them all.  In such a case, these can be the consequences of poor inventory management: […]

The world of retail has seen some major upheavals over the last few years, thanks to the emergence of the Internet, social media, mobile technologies, and now, the COVID-19 pandemic. As people start coming back to stores, there is an overwhelming understanding that everything will never be the same again. During this period, people have […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought sweeping changes to the retail world as stores learn to bridge the physical and digital to provide a seamless shopping experience for customers and at the same time, implement some necessary precautions to provide contactless shopping to avoid hygiene concerns. These changes have been possible because of the use of […]

Change is the name of the game for fast-fashion retailers as they thrive in an ever-changing world of fashion and preferences. These retailers are constantly challenged to maintain high product turnover rates and to cater to their customers in a highly saturated market. These preferences have taken on a whole new meaning as consumers come […]

Ecommerce saw significant growth in sales estimated at 39% in the last quarter of 2020. Experts claim it’s the highest growth seen in the last 13 years. The drastic change obviously causes a struggle for retailers who don’t have any online presence or a  strong organizational structure to support an online operation. Lack of the […]

The shift of consumer spend towards e-commerce has been the major retail headline in 2020, and one of the main implications of this shift is the enhanced role omnichannel has come to play for retailers. In the 2020 timeframe, online retail traffic grew 207% over 2019, Queue-it shows us. However, this data doesn’t mean there […]

At the end of 2020, we’ve learned that the most important thing retailers need to acquire is digital transformation. This requirement made retailers take quick actions to adapt to the changing environment in these challenging times. In today’s new retail reality, multiple delivery and fulfillment options have become valuable assets for retailers and consumers alike. […]

Not so long ago, when you walked into a store, you were greeted by your first name and the shopkeeper knew the things you used and the brands you preferred. So, he gave you just what you want and at a discounted rate because you visited the shop often. The result? You came out of […]

Nearly a year after the pandemic has started, the new normal has been established and some aspects of it may very well be here to stay even when it ends completely. While it was wildly popular pre-pandemic as well, omnichannel retail has become the obvious thing to do. With the change in customer shopping habits […]

The traditional structure where a retailer uses one strategy for inventory management and another for store efficiency is becoming outdated.  Imagine you wanted to buy a pair of slick black trainers. You visit your favorite online store, and you see the out-of-stock tag. Then you visit the physical store hoping for a different outcome. The […]

For the past few years retailers were intuitively aware that acquiring and integrating new technologies were the most critical steps to take in order to be aligned with  the future of retail. However, the decision making processes were long as the digitalization of retail was still a vague concept and the expected return on those […]

They say you can’t please all the people all the time. In a world that changes technologically and, socially and politically almost every day, these words could appear to be obviously true. In recent years more focus has been put on researching the demographics that form society – who people really are – than ever […]

If you have ever made a purchase after browsing on your smartphone only to learn that the store you are standing in does not stock that item, you will relate to how frustrating a non-omnichannel retail experience can be In 2019, while 73% of customers use multiple channels during their shopping journey, only 7% shopped […]

Industry leaders state that currently an impressive 86% of retail sales in the US take place in brick and mortar store (1). The consumer of 2019 is more technologically enabled than ever before. 53 % of these sales are digitally influenced (1). This means that the average consumer is shopping with mobile device in hand. […]

Three things we learned from the biggest retailers in the world at NRF; When the CEOs of Target, Macy’s and leaders of Ali Baba come together to discuss the retil world it is worth paying attention. Welcome to National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show held in New York City this past month. The NRF annual […]

Brick and Mortar stores continue to hold their own in the retail world. Statistics indicate that far from abandoning physical retail stores, they are seen as complimentary to other channels. 2019 will be a year of competition, not between retail channels, but between retailers using these channels. Retailers who can think digital-first and employ digital […]

The tinsel has been hanging and holiday music playing for some weeks now. However, retailers everywhere are continuing to benefit from a bumper winter holiday shopping season. The US based National Retail Federation reports that sales will be up almost 5% over 2017. When taking into consideration the same increase seen last year, this totals […]

It’s official, physical stores are here to stay! 2018 statistics confirm that 72% of consumers say that even though they browse online they prefer to make their purchase in physical stores (0). In an omni-channel age there are ways to ensure retailers can provide a pleasant retail experience as consumers look to glide efficiently from […]

What is the Amazon effect?Since its entry to the lives of billions of people in 1994, the Amazon has changed the way that retail functions. Consumers have been empowered by the speed of purchase and the information available during the decision-making process thanks to digital commerce. Their online empowerment has changed their offline expectations. The […]

94% of all retail transactions are still taking place in brick and mortar stores. Yes, instead of replacing the brick and mortar store, the recent technological landscape changes are not leaving the high street behind. Inclusion of technology on the shop floor is more than just an aesthetic face lift – it is the technological […]

Whether it is an intuitive website or a retailer who can electronically showcase its entire product range over a range of in-store digital devices, the race is on for retailers who truly want to harness the power of digital services on and off-line sales. It is now seen as crucial that companies transform themselves digitally […]

Twelve-hundred seconds. The estimated face to face window of opportunity available for store assistants to assist consumers. From the moment a customer arrives, the grains of sand in the hourglass begin to fall. Enter Troy, our eager shop assistant: Every second Troy uses well will mean that the customer will feel cared for, appreciate product […]

So the story goes that in the years during the skyscraper construction boom in New York, USA, People were struggling to adjust to climbing to higher floors than ever before. Interestingly, the distance was not the problem. The wave of complaints centered around either the delay encountered before entering the elevator or the time taken […]

“How can I help you?” Ah yes, the yesteryear introduction made by shop assistants in retail outlets for generations. However, in today’s world the thought of cold-approaching customers in this way should cause hairs to stand on end. This time has gone. The customer of 2018 requires, quite rightly, a bespoke experience. An approach by […]

We do miss “mom and pop” stores for sure. We miss the emotions they triggered, we miss the experience, we miss the fact that there were once places that knew who we were, what we liked, what kind of ice cream flavor we preferred. The times have changed, so have the stores and so have […]

“The end is nigh” …”The writing is on the wall”…Major companies facing “chapter 11” scenarios…How many idioms have you encountered regarding the fate of brick and mortar retail stores? It seemed inevitable that the last two years would see the decline of physical stores snowball with Armageddon like consequences for the high street. Interestingly this […]