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

Ikea is coming to a High Street near you. The Swedish retail giant revolutionized the way furniture is sold in the 1970s with its distinctive blue retail sheds in out-of-town locations. But now it wants to get closer to its customers with a new generation of smaller format stores in

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