Back in November I blogged about Electronic shelf labels and predicted that most major retailers will be deploying them, or planning to, within the next 12 months. Here is a update. Just recently I've noticed that the number of searches on our website for Electronic shelf labels has risen significantly. Excluding derivates of our company and product names it's become the second most popular search term.  I also spotted in RetailWeek that Waitrose are considering ESLs and I know of several Read more [...]

Thanks to everyone who completed our survey and shared their comments with us. One of our objectives for the survey was to find out if there were significant differences in the views of  IT, Retail Operations and Marketing about what's important in a new signage or ticketing system.  Representatives from all three functions are involved in selecting and operating a signage or ticketing system but we discovered that their priorities are often quite different. At the top of IT's priorities Read more [...]

Another excellent event put together by Retail Bulletin. The top message was that mobile is seen as the vehicle that linked together on-line and off-line channels and enables multichannel integration.  One speaker actually called mobile the saviour of bricks and mortar stores!  Other common themes were:  QR codes, trial things quickly, focus on customers, iPod & Pads and channel integration. Here are my notes on some individual speakers. Kenny Ball, IT Director, Schuh Major success Read more [...]

All retailers want to get customers to buy more in their stores. This 90 second animation looks at shopping from a customer's point of view and what can be done to help Jane and other shoppers improve their customer experience and buy more.  

Retailers need a good ticketing and signage solution because the point of decision for the majority of shoppers is still at the shelf edge but, which benefits and features are most important in a new ticketing and signage solution? Please help us find out by completing the below survey. In return we will send you a summary of the results and also make a contribution of a least £1 per survey to AbilityNet who are a charity that helps disabled children and adults use computers and the internet. Just Read more [...]

Most major retailers operate a concept of product and price bands linked to demographics, but the vast majority of their promotions are featured nationwide.  In many stores and for many products nationwide promotions work well, but in some specific stores they are far less effective.  In fact, they could result in no benefit at all to the retailer and brand because they are not hitting the intended target shoppers. The answer is to only feature the right promotions at the right stores. This Read more [...]

Multichannel retailing has transformed the retail landscape and will continue to do so.  New technologies and increasing customer power has led to retailers business success being shaped by how they responded to multichannel retailing. It's a tough but very exciting time for everyone. Talking with major retailers it appears to me that they are going through four stages in their multichannel journey.  Some are already at stage three but many others are still at stage 1 & 2. A few Read more [...]

According to some people multichannel retailing is simply about shoppers deserting stores and buying on-line instead. This is a narrow view of the potential of multichannel retailing and how it can improve the shopper experience. It was therefore good to read an article in RetailWeek from Angela Spindler, chief executive of The Original Factory Shop, who adds a different perspective. Angela puts a lot of effort into understanding customers and was clear that they value face-to-face contact Read more [...]

I've been writing for some time about the importance of shoppers choosing the retailers that they trust rather than just the cheapest.  Lots of people have opinions on the subject but I have seen little evidence based on actually asking consumers what they think. I was therefore please to come across some research from IBM which they are announcing at the National Retail Federation (NRF) show in New York next week.. Below is a brief extract from their findings. Research by the Read more [...]

It's not about which selling model will "win" in the end. Bricks and mortar stores will continue to change to meet the needs of shoppers as will on-line stores. Neither are perfect but the development potential for a more rewarding shopping experience for both retailers and customers is enormous. Personally I believe that in a couple of years time we will have a similar total number of bricks and mortar stores as we have today but many of them will both look different and be operated in different Read more [...]