social savvy Archives - VM Unleashed

Is eBay the Sustainability Hero of Black Friday?

In case this sounds far-fetched we should remember that eBay began life as the online equivalent of a glorified car-boot sale. We all spent time selecting our target products, planning our bid strategies, and we passed some enjoyable and exciting times counting down the auction clock and firing in our last-minute offers. Before sustainable retailing became a significant movement, and re-sell was still largely restricted to charity shops, eBay was at the-

Discussing ‘Experiential Retailing’: Hotel Chocolat – ‘Vertically Integrated Indulgence’

Listen to myself, Tim Radley, on the Louise Lally podcast, discussing the much vaunted but little understood concept of ‘Experiential Retailing!’ Join the free podcast now through this link…Retailing with Meaning Ep1 Store Concepts (podbean.com) The podcast features a discussion on Hotel Chocolat, a brand that not only transformed the ways to create, package and display chosolate, but also revolutionised the vertical supply chain behind the beans. Hotel Chocolat is-

Read “Creating Customer Lifecycles:” Coat Paints – A Brighter Future!

Join me, Tim Radley, in “Meaning in the Retail Madness,” discussing how considerations about the product lifecycle must now be extended forwards to the customer purchase, their relationship with the product, and its disposal. The retail lifecycle must evolve into the customer lifecycle. Solutions must make more use, and more uses, of what the customer buys. Turning away from the throwaway, embracing and enjoying what we have. The terminology needs-

‘Is Brand more important than Product?’ A question for students at the London College of Fashion (LCF)

The LCF student’s collaborative challenge module is now entering the creative phase. Always a fascinating period of any project, when all of that valuable research and benchmarking needs to be translating into customer facing outputs. The students are so tech native that visual imagery and social media communication is second nature to them. It is the polar opposite to me and many of the lecturers who were initiated into retail-

Discussing Sustainability & Ethical Retailing: Elvis & Kresse – ‘Masters of Slow Fashion’

Listen to myself, Tim Radley, on the Louise Lally podcast, discussing the world of retail sustainability, from diverse shopping channels, rental & second-hand resell, to on-demand manufacturing & the virtual inventory, and how sustainability, ethical governance and diversity are intrinsically linked. Join the free podcast now through this link…https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-ua8ca-1307ed8 The podcast features a discussion on Elvis & Kresse. Their story is fascinating. Several years ago, they discovered that the London-

Discover a ‘Five-Star Christmas: “Meaning in the Retail Madness”

“An excellent read *****” “Valuable reference for anyone in retail *****” “This book is more relevant now than ever! *****” ‘Meaning in the Retail Madness’ explains how touchpoints have replaced channels, how linear supply chains will become circular, why assortments are increasingly virtual, how physical is turning to local, and why products and shops are not necessarily made for each other anymore. It supplies a blueprint for retail’s new ‘agile-

Is pureplay just a replay of retail’s oldest mistake? ‘Dumbing down retail to distribution domination!’

So here we are, less than a couple of years after the peak of lockdown. Less than a couple of years after the stella rise of ecommerce market share, and the adoption of every app and touchpoint available to engage with digital retail and diverse home delivery services. So, here we now are, with some of the biggest names in pureplay retail suffering, losing sales and profits eroding, scrambling to-

Fast-fashion: Selling its soul for a slice of the second-hand market?

Fast-fashion: Selling its soul for a slice of the second-hand market? As the resale market grows and evolves at a pace, it is more important than ever to dig deeper behind the businesses involved, particularly if your motives for buying second-hand are to reduce the volume of new product sales, and to divert used products away from landfill. There is no shortage of choice when it comes to buying second-

Gymshark: Coming down to physical earth with a bump

I am a huge fan and advocate of Gymshark. The story behind the sportswear brand’s origins and its founder, Ben Francis, is inspiring. Everything I have ever read about his values and philosophy on leadership makes me believe that he is a compassionate, and motivational boss to work for. Above all Gymshark make excellent gym & sportswear and is a refreshing change from other available brands. So, I am a-

“Circular Storytelling & the Narrative Supply Chain”

“Circular Storytelling & the Narrative Supply Chain”Compelling reading away from the monologues of manufacturers The most cost-effective way to add genuine value to any product is through delivering an original product personality and compelling storyline! The product supply chain offers the most incredible opportunities to create rich, unique, and attractive stories around products. Yet in the clamour to manufacture huge volumes at any cost, those stories have become banal and-