Traditional retailing is going through a difficult period of transition with stores closing and retail space occupancy rates falling. But some of the empty space is being occupied by newcomers to the High Street who see big benefits in having a physical presence to get closer to the customer and

Retailers are always looking for ways to stand out from the competition and payment flexibility could be the latest differentiator. In the past, price was a powerful retailing weapon – Wal-Mart built an empire of more than 6,000 stores whose main attraction for shoppers  is their low prices. Retailers that

Fashion retailing has always been a fast-moving sector, but fashion trends used to be fairly predictable. Not any more, however. Customers are no longer content to be passive consumers of fashion. Thanks to technology, they feel empowered not just to interact with brands but to influence trends using digital channels

We hear the term omnichannel a lot in retailing. It has been one of the industry’s favorite buzzwords and indeed some would argue it is overused and has lost its value. So what exactly does omnichannel mean? Interest in omnichannel is at an all-time high, as you can see from

Visit any popular  destination in the world and you will likely see Chinese tourists.  When not visiting the tourist attractions, they love to shop. They also like to use their mobile phones to pay, something that is taken for granted in China. So, retailers that want to want to profit

Amazon has announced plans to cut delivery times for its more than 100m Prime members in the US from two days to just one. The move puts further pressure on embattled brick-and-mortar retailers, who  will have to try to match Amazon on speed or find other ways to encourage customers

Every retailer knows that being able to accurately forecast demand for products is a key  capability if they want to optimize inventory levels, reduce costs and,  equally importantly, keep customers satisfied by ensuring the products they want to buy are available. In the omnichannel era, customers are less tolerant of

Retailers that have not yet embraced eCommerce within a coherent omnichannel strategy cannot afford to wait any longer. That’s because as more retail revenue shifts online, a strategy based predominantly on selling through brick-and-mortar stores becomes more difficult to justify, not least because online is where the growth lies. Primark,

Is your current POS system pulling its weight? With customers expectations higher than ever, your POS system needs to work much harder, whether its handling transactions, empowering your associates to do their job better or supporting new omnichannel scenarios. But according to a RIS report, 43% of retailers say their

Trading conditions for brick-and-mortar retail are tough, we are often told. But JD Sports, the UK sportswear retailer, has bucked the trend by reporting impressive results with like-for-like sales for  physical and online channels combined increasing more than 5%. Stripping out eCommerce, like-for-like sales in JD Sports stores still increased,  albeit