Category: meaning in the retail madness
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We should all be talking ‘Best-seller materials’ and not ‘Best-seller products?’
in assortment structure planning, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, fast fashion, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, pre-loved, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, secondhand, supply-chains, sustainabilityI was asked yesterday what circular fashion production and RFID tagging had to do with better ‘best-seller’ product selection, less worst sellers, and therefore less waste and all the sustainable benefits of that. The answer is nothing. RFID is an identification and data tool. The skill of designers & buyers, supported by predictive analytics, is…
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The ‘Phantom Thread.’ The Technology of our Lives?
in assortment structure planning, brave-words, disruptive retail, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, pre-loved, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail strategy, secondhand, shop of the future, supply-chains, sustainability, technology & electricalLet’s be clear. Sooner or later, either through choice, customer sentiment, or legislation, we will all be selling less things. Certainly as ‘retailers as a whole’ and, as individual businesses. This will be the ‘Journey of a lifetime’ for a retail industry built on volume growth, and a distinct change of direction for the journeys…
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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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In today’s ‘Shop of the Future’ do you spread visual merchandising more thinly or indulge in its richness?
in branding & visual communication, brave-words, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, fashion accessories, fast fashion, ladies fashion, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, new retail, omni-channel retailing, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, shop of the future, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, technology & electrical, visual merchandising, visual merchandising operations, vm operations, windowsVisual Merchandising, like any other function within a retail business is having to adapt in response to the paradigm shifts that are occurring in the industry. Those changes are becoming a revolution, not an evolution. What began with globalised supply chains, fast fashion, the advent of ecommerce, pureplay retail, has accelerated into social and rich…
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Celebrating the healthcare sector. From ‘Good People’ into ‘Great Retailers’
in brave-words, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, food & drink, health & beauty, meaning in the retail madness, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, store experience, sustainabilityThe healthcare sector is indeed perfectly, and tantalisingly, positioned to satisfy the growing customer desire for products that improve physical and mental wellbeing, as well as bringing ‘meaning and integrity’ into the retail experience itself. So, it is my pleasure to be collaborating with Target Publishing Ltd on a regular new column for Health Food Business that…
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Good customer experiences come in all shapes and sizes: Make sure they’re always in-stock!
in customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, impulse retailing, meaning in the retail madness, personalisation, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, store experience, store operations, store theatre, visual merchandisingGood customer experiences come in all shapes and sizes: Make sure they’re always in-stock! Ask the customer, ask your colleagues, and ask yourself what is a ‘good customer experience?’ and you will automatically receive a myriad of answers…even from yourself. One of the popular answers will be a physical shop which has atmosphere, beautiful displays,…
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Swoperz: An idea born from community taking pre-loved children’s fashion to another world.
in customer-engagement, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, fast fashion, kids fashion, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, pop-up stores, pureplay, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, social savvy, sustainabilityLet me introduce you to Swoperz, if you aren’t already familiar with this innovative app that allows children to swap their clothes. As with all the best brands it has a very simple proposition that is born from observing a need. But as with exceptional brands it also ticks many wider boxes, that make Swoperz…
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The Age of the Retail Creatives is upon us. “12 questions that will shape your visual merchandising career!”
in branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, disruptive retail, fast fashion, ladies fashion, luxury, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, new retail, omni-channel retailing, personalisation, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, sales promotions & events, space management, space planning, store experience, store layout, store operations, store theatre, telling product stories, visual merchandising, visual merchandising operations, vm compliance, vm operations, VM Selling Toolkit, windowsIt will be my great pleasure to speak at the International Display Conference this week. The 2-day event in Dublin, promises to bring together some of the brightest lights in the visual merchandising industry from all corners of the world. My subject?“12 questions that will shape your visual merchandising career!” I have been presenting on…
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We can not rely on lower inflation to bring our customers back.
Let us hope that the predictions of lower inflation and reduced interest rates have become a reality by the time you read this post. The omens are good. In the traditional cycle of things our customers regularly go through times of financial hardship and relative freedom to spend. It is just a matter of managing…
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