How smartphones will be a retailer’s best friend in 2023

By Hannah Abbasi, Head of Insight & Strategy at Outform.

Smartphones have become a conundrum for retailers. On one hand they allow brands to plug every single piece of marketing communication into a ‘buy now’ opportunity. On the other hand - as Outform’s recent study into post-pandemic shopping habits revealed - consumers are using them in-store to make product comparisons against competitors.

By Mark Delaney, FourKites Vice President, Industry Strategy, Retail & CPG.

The slowdown in retail shipments is a sign of cautious consumer spending and retailers’ wish to salvage as much margin as they can by keeping inventories as low as possible. They’re walking a tight rope as they try to balance shopper demand with the hope to not have to slash prices after the holidays, kicking off what will likely be a tough year.

Click fraud protection service Polygraph is reminding advertisers not to rely on IP address blocking to prevent fake clicks, as blocking IP addresses will miss at least 95% of click fraud.

Millennials and Gen Z are driving the demand for Metaverse fashion with a fifth having already made a Non Fungible Token (NFT) fashion purchase, the latest research from Centra, the headless commerce platform for fashion and lifestyle brands, reveals.

New research from NTT DATA UK&I, the IT services provider for the retail industry, has uncovered the struggles that retailers had to battle with during Black Friday this year.

There are over 60 million eCommerce users in the UK alone (Source: Statista), meaning the vast majority of UK residents now shop online. When a new generation of tech-savvy kids start shopping, the industry will only expand further, so it’s crucial that online retailers continue to innovate if they want to keep growing too.

By Ashley Klepach, Product Marketing Manager, FourKites.

According to a survey by the National Retail Foundation, retail returns jumped to an average of 16.6% in 2021 versus 10.6% a year ago. That adds up to more than $761 billion of merchandise that retailers expect will wind up back at stores and warehouses.

Kallik, the global provider of label and artwork management (LAM) technology, has launched what it describes as a unique mobile-based app for new and existing users of its Veraciti label and artwork management (LAM) solution.

If the headlines were to be believed, the 2022 Peak season was expected to be a low-spending affair by historical standards.

Sewell on the go has become the latest retailer to join forces with mobile app Gander to enable its customers to snap up reduced-priced foods and mitigate food waste. Its stores on Chanterlands Avenue and in Cottingham are the first to be integrated with the app.