Internet Retailing

August proved to be a damp squib for the retail sector despite the heatwaves. The latest High Street Sales Tracker data from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO shows that total sales across the discretionary retail categories grew by just +2.2% in August, compared to +3.9% in the same month last year. Growth remained below the rate of inflation, meaning sales volumes have dropped for the sixth time this year.

As the summer holidays draw to a close and our holiday tans fade, many of us will be thinking ahead to our next travel adventure. Although household budgets have been squeezed by the ever-increasing cost of living, many British families continue to prioritise holidays, even if that means cutting back in other areas. Recent research by ConsumerX shows that 58% of Brits intend to spend the same or more on holidays, with a further 3% stating that it’s their main priority for their disposable income.

JD Sports has identified a multi-million-pound opportunity for growth through personalising its customer offering after teaming up with AI-powered actionable intelligence company HyperFinity. The British sports retailer wanted to ascertain the commercial value of personalisation, and how to implement it to drive growth. HyperFinity designed the personalisation engine and trialled it to build a personalisation framework for JD Sport.

In an unpredictable world, Isabella Wayte, CEO of XDP, the UK’s only privately owned IDW (irregular dimension and weight) carrier, explores what agility and resilience really look like. Competitive advantage in retail isn’t defined by who produces the most accurate forecast. It’s defined by who can adapt fastest when the forecast is wrong. After more than 20 years in logistics, that is something I have learned first-hand. And it’s happening more and more often. Forecasting matters. Of course it does.

Shein’s long-awaited debut on the stock market on Tuesday 1 September proved to be underwhelming, with shares falling 9% as investors fretted about the company’s growth potential. This followed a lukewarm IPO which saw the fast-fashion giant’s valuation drop to nearly a quarter of its peak market value. In 2022, Shein was valued at $100 billion.

In July, subscription-based beauty retailer Beauty Pie announced that it was replatforming to Shopify to prepare for international expansion – including potential physical stores. With an army of loyal fans – and given the success that its competitor Sephora has enjoyed in capturing both the in-person and digital attention of its mainly Gen Z fanbase – it’s clear that Beauty Pie sees offline sales as a potential opportunity for growth.

When Walmart rolled out Walmart+ in Canada this summer, it was noteworthy for two reasons: firstly, it was the first time Walmart+ had been launched outside the USA, and secondly, it was evidence of a growing trend in the subscription economy in which retailers are increasingly bundling multiple services and benefits into a single membership. The Canadian offer combines unlimited same-day delivery, free shipping and a Crave streaming subscription for one monthly fee.

Among the new wave of commerce media networks emerging beyond traditional retail, Marriott International’s Marriott Media is transforming its vast hospitality ecosystem into a data-driven, omnichannel advertising platform, designed to engage travellers across the entire journey – from inspiration and booking through to the in-stay experience and beyond. The foundation of Marriott’s media network is its scale and data.

James Rigg, CEO of Trojan Commerce, explains why retailers need to stop treating the first sale as the end of the customer relationship. The news that IKEA plans to launch its second-hand marketplace in the UK should serve as a signal for other retailers to think more seriously about their post-sale operations. The marketplace, expected to launch in the UK later this year, will allow IKEA’s Family members to buy and sell pre-owned IKEA products directly.

Frasers Group has struck out against the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)’s guidance on RRPs (Recommended Retail Prices).