Why chatbots fail and how retailers can make them work
Forrester research suggests marketers are struggling to deliver value through the use of chatbots, but Essential Retail finds some retailers are already benefiting from the emerging technology.Most...
View ArticleComment: Will Amazon’s Whole Foods deal go the same way as L'Oréal and Body...
Tanusree Jain, assistant professor of ethical business at Trinity College Dublin, takes a look at the Amazon and Whole Foods deal and asks whether the organic grocer will be able to retain its ethical...
View ArticleChanging TV habits prove challenging for JML
JML describes how the trend of on-demand TV viewing is impacting the retailer’s marketing strategy. The changing way consumers watch television is impacting marketing spend for many retailers, but none...
View ArticleL1 Retail buys Holland & Barrett for $1.8bn
New investment firm, L1 Retail, bets on health and wellness with the $1.8 billion acquisition of Holland & Barrett.Holland & Barrett has been sold to investment firm, L1 Retail, for $1.8...
View ArticleInterview: Co-op on store transformation
The Co-operative talks to Essential Retail to learn how the retailer is transforming its store strategy from introducing self checkout to deploying flexible scheduling solutions for store managers. The...
View ArticleYoox dabbles in augmented reality
Yoox is offering shoppers an augmented reality app, turning products into filters which can be layered over existing images on a shopper's smartphone.Yoox has partnered with Lumyer to introduce...
View ArticleFintech must innovate marketplaces, according to research
Research suggests marketplaces are struggling to grow to their full potential due to a lack of adoption of innovative payments technology. Research from payments consultancy, Edgar, Dunn & Company,...
View ArticleHow tea and cake drives loyalty at John Lewis
John Lewis describes how it created a profitable loyalty scheme through treats, experiences and digital activity. “I had no idea something as simple as tea and cake would be as popular as it was,”...
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Inside Yoox Net-a-Porter’s London tech hub
Essential Retail takes a tour of Yoox Net-a-Porter’s swanky new technology hub in West London, which focuses on developing artificial intelligence and mobile innovations.A stone’s throw away from Yoox...
View ArticleYUUbag: From Dragon’s Den to a sale every 12 minutes
YUU co-founders, Gill Hayward and Kellie Forbes, described how they sold one of their kids activity bags – YUUbag – every 12 minutes over peak 2016.The run up to Christmas is always a busy period for...
View ArticleSue Ryder wins best use of technology award
Sue Ryder scoops the best use of technology award by a charity retailer at the Charity Retail Association Awards 2017. Non-profit charity organisation, Sue Ryder, has won an award for the best use of...
View ArticleBeyond responsive: Driving mobile commerce success with progressive web apps
Join a webinar with SAP Hybris, Mobify, and Salmon to learn how mobile will impact peak trading season this year, and how to tackle your conversion rate problem on mobile. In 2016, mobile traffic...
View ArticleComment: AI could kickstart a new global arms race – we need better ways to...
Christopher Markou, PhD candidate, faculty of law at University of Cambridge, takes a look at the artificial intelligence revolution and how we need to take care to regulate the ethical side of AI....
View ArticleBritish Airways: the journey to personalisation
British Airways describes how it is working on personalising the online and in-flight experience for customers. “So many brands have done such an incredible job with data and technology to drive...
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Big Interview: Jack Wills on personalisation and AB testing
Essential Retail chats to Jack Wills about how it is improving eCommerce and personalising the online experience for customers.No conversation in retail technology misses out the phrase...
View ArticleComment: Standardising master product data – the next frontier for...
Jacky Broomhead, market development manager for apparel at supply chain standards organisation GS1 UK, argues the case for more collaboration between retailers and brands if we are to finally solve the...
View ArticleVisionDirect: change button colour to improve email click-through
VisionDirect sees significant uplift in email click-through rates after changing its button colour from green to blue. VisionDirect reported a 63% increase in click-through rates after changing a call...
View ArticleAnalysis: Amazon buys Whole Foods to expand digital prowess in retail
Brendan Miller and Brendan Witcher, principal analysts at Forrester, take a look at Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods. Whole Foods’ brick and mortar expertise combined with Amazon’s digital prowess...
View ArticleCoast revamps website with Aptos
Essential Retail speaks to Coast as it reveals its brand new responsive website.Coast has unveiled a new responsive web platform which has allowed it to create a more seamless customer shopping journey...
View ArticleComment: M&S delivers – but is it too late?
John Wood, lecturer in law at University of Central Lancashire, takes a look at M&S and asks if they are too late to the digital retail game?Over the last five years a revolution on the British...
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