Whitepapers
Download the latest whitepaper from the Retail Think Tank, as they explore industry trends and strategies.
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Change or fail: Why innovation is now the business survival issue retailers
October 25, 2023
One of the great ironies of the retail industry is that while the market in which it operates in undergoes constant and rapid change, many retailers are slow to adapt. The market is now in a more or less permanent state of flux and retailers unable to adapt in terms of their culture, staff roles and contracts, and investment in technology will go out of business. And it is our prediction that the market will see some more major failures in the next couple of years.
Get ready for retail’s third wave of disruption
August 1, 2023
Retail is once again at a tipping point and faces a third wave of disruption in as many years. Having already faced and responded to the disruption caused first by covid and second by inflation, now spiralling interest rates threaten to exacerbate the current cost-of-living crisis, significantly affecting the long-term spending power both of mortgage holders and private renters…
The store strikes back – are stores ready to take market share from online-only retailers?
May 30, 2023
The cost of living crisis is still creating challenges for retailers – but there are reasons to be optimistic. Post-pandemic access to physical retail has driven consumer appetite, and the big industry players are reconfiguring their store portfolios to optimise their physical presence. The RTT questioned the viability of the online-only retail model, suggesting that…
Outlook for 2023
Jan 1st, 2023
Profits, people and planet will be the dominant themes of 2023. A challenging first half of the year should give way to a better summer as inflation eases from the current peak. Changes to business rates, and an increasingly competitive online trading environment, could benefit retailers with a strong bricks and mortar offering. At the…
Pricing and promotion optimisation in an inflationary driven downturn could be the only lever of growth for the sector in the foreseeable future
Nov 3rd, 2022
Pricing and promotion management has lagged behind other areas of retail strategy. Holding or reducing pricing in response to rising inflation may damage margins, although increasing prices may lead to a loss of market share and may also negatively impact brand reputation. However, growth is possible if retailers use their data to understand their customers…