Category: assortment structure planning
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TK Maxx. Using Visual Merchandising to make every customer’s visit into their luckiest day!
in accessories, assortment structure planning, customer experience, disruptive retail, fashion accessories, footwear, health & beauty, kids fashion, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, multi-category, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail strategy, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, store operations, value retailing, visual merchandising, visual merchandising operations, vm compliance, vm operationsThe best brands make extraordinary things very simple. And the clever use of visual merchandising does not need to be complex or sophisticated to define a brand and create unique experiences. I was involved in the research for the Channel 5 documentary about TK Maxx. The interview with one of the producers made me distill…
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Arming yourself with ‘Added-value’ propositions in the war on low price
in assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, health & beauty, meaning in the retail madness, product suppliers, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, store experience, supply-chains, value retailingIn these ‘cost-of-living’ times I am reminded of one of my first lessons in retail. The difference between price & value. They sound similar and considering how often the word ‘value’ is misused, as in ‘value retailers’ who are in fact ‘low price retailers,’ anyone would be excused for thinking they are the same. I’ve…
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“Meet your wardrobe of 2028!” – It has more Second-hand than Fast-fashion
in accessories, analytics, assortment structure planning, brave-words, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, fast fashion, footwear, internationalisation, ladies fashion, leisure & sport, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, multi-category, new retail, omni-channel retailing, product suppliers, pureplay, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, supply-chains, sustainability, value retailing“Meet your wardrobe of 2028!” – It has more Second-hand than Fast-fashion I love this chart! It was produced using Globaldata research and is now 5 years old. It predicts what types of retailer our fashion wardrobe will be bought from in 5 years-time, in 2028. What an appropriate time to revisit it, mid-way through…
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The ‘Passion Supply Chain’ delivering customer engagement and commercial retail success.
The ‘Passion Supply Chain’ delivering customer engagement and commercial retail success. The fundamental purpose of any retailer is to bring together a physical customer and a physical product, irrespective of whether the sale is made in a physical shop or online. A successful supply chain is therefore a pre-requisite for any retail business. However, managing…
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Retailers walking ‘the Tight rope of Trust’ in their quest for customer loyalty.
Retailers walking ‘the Tight rope of Trust’ in their quest for customer loyalty. Interesting to hear that Frasers, which has evolved out of the Sports Direct brand, is planning to launch a loyalty club and subscription. It hopes to emulate the likes of Amazon Prime. Amazon has an enviable stable of content and benefits that…
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How ‘Passion Supply Chains’ enable Local Independent Retailers to compete commercially and win!
in assortment structure planning, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, food & drink, health & beauty, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, packaging, product suppliers, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, space planning, store experience, store operations, supply-chains, sustainability, telling product storiesI’m often asked how small independent retailers can compete against the scale efficiencies and operational expertise of larger chains. There are in fact, many ways, but always my first answer is about being authentic, about generating a unique passion. That ‘passion’ must be genuine. It needs to be engaging and infectious. And that can only…
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Keep your ‘Retail Feet’ firmly on the Ground. Physical is back with a vengeance!
in assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, high street planning, location strategy, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, omni-channel retailing, personalisation, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, retail-regeneration, sales promotions & events, social savvy, store experience, store operations, store theatre, town centre planning, value retailing, website excellenceIt’s the time of year when the Christmas period sales results come in, and the assessment of winners and loses takes place. My own Top 5 conclusions… The top of Retail Week’s ‘Christmas trading 2022 league table’ has a strangely familiar feel to it, featuring the likes of JDSports, Greggs, Next, B&M, Sainsburys and Tesco.…
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Invisible Technologies that turn ‘Product Graveyards’ into ‘Perpetual Distribution Centres!”
in analytics, assortment structure planning, disruptive retail, internationalisation, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, omni-channel retailing, product suppliers, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, space management, space planning, store operations, supply-chains, sustainabilityIn the annual debate about the best use of retail technology budgets, heads are often turned by the ‘sexier’, and highly visible software solutions that enhance the visual interface and the customer experience. The rise of pureplay, the need for graphic stimulation, digital interaction, and brand immersion, all catapulted augmented and virtual reality to the…
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Is 2024 the year when being a “Worthy Retailer” is no longer enough?
in assortment structure planning, customer experience, customer service, disruptive retail, in-store services, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, omni-channel retailing, product suppliers, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, space management, space planning, supply-chains, sustainabilityThere are many examples, from politics to business, where those who were at the forefront of driving change failed to benefit from the arrival of those changes. New retailers, born from the ambition to create a world of sustainable shoppers and ethical businesses, have stood out from the traditional crowd of retail alternatives. Namely the…
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Can we find hope for ethical retailing in the fallout from Black Friday?
in analytics, assortment structure planning, fashion accessories, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, multi-category, omni-channel retailing, product suppliers, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, social savvy, supply-chains, sustainability, value retailingBlack Friday is generally recognised as the epitome of mass-market retailing, a customer celebration of huge price reductions, and the shifting of eye-watering volumes of merchandise. For retailers a big blow to margins, but the salvation before Christmas in terms of units sold, and this year an opportunity to offload unprecedented unsold, unwanted overstock to…
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