Why have some retailers performed better than others in rebounding after the collapse in sales experienced during the lockdown at the beginning of their year? Take, for example, Next, the UK-based fashion retailer, whose doom-laden forecasts made during the pandemic have not played out as badly as feared. According to

Every retail business should always try to treat its most loyal customers well. But the turmoil that has hit the retail sector during the past six months has had a profound impact on customer behavior and retailers need to redouble their efforts to ensure their best customers stay loyal. Perhaps

European consumers are emerging from lockdown with changed priorities and new expectations. To help retailers better understand just how they are adapting to the new post-pandemic reality, consultancy McKinsey has published the latest data from its consumer sentiment survey. Some countries have been affected much more than others by the

Retailers have launched many initiatives to help fight Covid-19. One of the most unusual examples is Dixons Carphone, the UK-based electronics retailer, which has donated the computing power from around 1,500 gaming computers in its Nordic stores to help researchers understand more about the coronavirus. The peak of the pandemic

As more transactions move online, last mile delivery continues to impose big challenges for online-only retailers. In this respect, physical retailers should have an inherent advantage when fulfilling online orders. They already have an efficient logistics infrastructure in place to replenish their stores and  a ready-made network of pick­-up locations

In a world in which the boundaries between physical and online commerce are increasingly blurred, Buy Online, Pickup In Store (BOPIS), has become an essential capability that all retailers should offer if they want to offer a better customer experience. According to research conducted by RIS News, BOPIS tops the

It is not all gloom on the High Street.  Far from it,  as demonstrated by the growing list of high-profile retailers that are opening flagship stores in prime shopping locations that promise to offer unique shopping experiences. Adidas LDN is one of the latest examples of this new type of

RFID is hardly a new technology, but many retailers have struggled to reap its full benefits, with most initiatives in the past limited to boosting warehouse efficiency by attaching RFID tags to pallets or cases. Today, retailers are taking a fresh look at RFID and the deployments are more ambitious

The retail apocalypse is spreading beyond North America, forcing retailers around the world to examine closely their portfolio of stores and, if necessary, close the least efficient. In the UK, for example, the net reduction in stores on UK high streets hit record levels in the first half of this

It is a problem every retailer wishes they had to face: too many customers trying to squeeze through its doors. When Costco, the US  discount retailer,  opened its first store in China earlier this week, the  Shanghai police had to be called on the opening day to restore order as