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

Is there a retailer who is not feeling the heat from Amazon and other digital upstarts? Surprisingly, yes. A study by RSR Research, Ramping Up Retail Innovation, reveals significant differences between how “retail winners” —  retailers with above-average sales growth – perceive the Amazon threat  and how laggard retailers see it. A massive 83%

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

As more and more retail business shifts online, stores  today are desperately seeking ways to make customers return to their stores and to do so more often. Macy’s, the US department store chain, is  the latest mainstream retailer attempting to give its stores a radical makeover. It plans to roll

IT  managers in retail businesses are overwhelmingly in favor of  a cloud-based platform as it enables them to implement new technologies faster. A massive 98% of IT managers think the IT function is the department within a retail organization that benefits most from adopting the cloud, according to RSR Research.

IT budgets might be growing, but many retailers are reluctant to let go of their legacy systems and struggle to decide where to focus IT investment for future growth. These decisions cannot be delayed any longer because postponing critical technology upgrades and using out-of-date software hinders a retailer’s ability to operate efficiently

The series of bankruptcies involving major retail brands continues with the news that Diesel USA has filed for bankruptcy protection. Some may see the demise of Diesel and of so many other once high-flying retailers as further evidence that the High Street is doomed. But the reality is more complex. In