Category: supply-chains
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Can you generate more profit by making your supply chain more diverse?
It is always easy in retailing to fall into the trap of ‘we’ve always done it this way.’ Your choice of suppliers and the management of them will be no exception to this. The classic way to select suppliers is by product categories, however a much more imaginative and often more profitable way is to…
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Delivering packaging solutions is about brain power and not brute force.
My recent post on digital retailers becoming obsessed with the ‘art of selling’ and losing sight of the ‘joy of giving’ certainly brought out some horror stories about the state of deliveries that land on people’s doorsteps. The initial reaction was a focus on the packaging and the inadequacies of everything from plastic bags offering…
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Has e-commerce become obsessed with ‘the art of selling’ whilst forgetting ‘the joy of giving’
in branding & visual communication, customer experience, customer service, customer-engagement, meaning in the retail madness, omni-channel retailing, packaging, personalisation, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, social savvy, supply-chains, telling product storiesI am not the only customer to be continually disappointed and disgusted at the condition of some of the products that arrive on my doorstep. My latest experience involved the delivery of some not-inexpensive ladies coats, bought as a gift, from one of the largest online fashion specialists. A business whose strategy, up until now,…
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Why we should all be talking ‘Best-seller materials’ and not ‘Best-seller products?’
in assortment structure planning, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, fast fashion, footwear, ladies fashion, luxury, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, new retail, pre-loved, preorder, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, retail, retail businesses, 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 most valuable technology of our modern lives?
in analytics, assortment structure planning, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, internationalisation, ladies fashion, luxury, menswear, new retail, personalisation, pre-loved, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail strategy, secondhand, 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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ADIAMELIAS: Allowing the supply chain to make, not break, your brand proposition
in accessories, assortment structure planning, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, ladies fashion, luxury, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, personalisation, preorder, product suppliers, retail, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, supply-chains, sustainability, telling product storiesI’ve been talking to a lot of people recently about the supply chain, how to reshape it, and how to make it an intrinsic part of your brand, if not actually the USP of the proposition. For too many years the general mind-set has been to simply source and ship from wherever we can get…
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Omniss: Putting creative dressmaking skills at the heart of the fashion business
I have recently met Asya Ter-Hovakimyan. She is a former student at the London College of Fashion, co-founder of fashion brand Omniss, and a determined and inspirational lady. She is participating in this year’s LCF collaborative challenge, and we can all learn a thing or two from her when it comes to understanding and re-appraising…
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For any students or retail entrepreneurs who would like some guidance in their work, then please reach out.
in assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, brave-words, ethical retailing, fashion accessories, footwear, health & beauty, home, jewellery, kids fashion, ladies fashion, leisure & sport, luxury, meaning in the retail madness, menswear, pop-up stores, pre-loved, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, shop of the future, social savvy, supply-chains, sustainability, visual merchandisingIt is always a great pleasure to support students and young retailers. The learning process is definitely 2-way. Hopefully the students gain from my own experiences and advice, whilst I certainly always find it so refreshing to listen to, and understand the influences and opinions of our next generation of retail entrepreneurs. Tilly is a…
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My exciting collaboration with the London College of Fashion for 2023
in accessories, assortment structure planning, branding & visual communication, customer experience, disruptive retail, fashion accessories, fast fashion, footwear, jewellery, kids fashion, ladies fashion, leisure & sport, luxury, menswear, new retail, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail brand heritage, retail businesses, retail management, retail organisations, retail strategy, shop of the future, store experience, store theatre, supply-chains, sustainability, telling product stories, visual merchandisingPleased to announce that I’m working with the London College of Fashion again this Autumn, as part of their Collaborative Challenge Industry Partner Programme. The fashion industry is more exciting and dynamic than ever. Students entering this world, across a wide range of disciplines, now need to be fully prepared and be able to collaborate…
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Is it right to celebrate beautiful retailing, from less than beautiful retailers?
in branding & visual communication, brave-words, disruptive retail, ethical retailing, fast fashion, meaning in the retail madness, new retail, pre-loved, product suppliers, re-sell, recycling, renting, retail, retail businesses, retail organisations, retail strategy, secondhand, store experience, store theatre, supply-chains, sustainability, visual merchandisingIs it right to celebrate beautiful retailing, from less than beautiful retailers? This is a conundrum I consider every time I come across an amazing new shop, but from a business I prefer not to buy from. Can creativity be tainted by its retail context? In the same way that we are often told to…
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