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EDITORIAL IRUK Top500 retailers show how the industry is adapting as shoppers change their habits

Editorial

21 Aug 2018

by Chloe Rigby

Shoppers are changing the way they buy – and the effect is being felt hard by retailers across the UK. Figures from the IMRG today show that change in action: it suggests online sales held up as long as England was part of the World Cup, but slumped afterwards. Garden equipment sales held up, thanks to warm weather that’s now largely at an end, but footwear and accessories sales fell sharply, while the Amazon Prime Day effect seen a year ago had a more muted feel this year.

Retailers are having to adapt as they look to follow that type of fluctuating shopper behaviour. Today we report on how Game Digital and Farfetch see that change and what they are doing as they look to respond, and on how House of Fraser is faring in a changed environment under the new ownership of Sports Direct, following its purchase out of administration.

An InternetRetailing study, carried out with Greenlight, illustrates the need for digital transformation, now more pressing than ever.

Our summer focus this week moves to operations and logistics. We report on the role of AI in delivery, and highlight four approaches retailers are taking to operations and logistics.

Today’s guest comment comes from Vijayanta Gupta at Adobe who considers the importance of connecting online and offline experiences.

RetailCraft podcast

Find out more about the first two episodes of InternetRetailing’s RetailCraft podcasts featuring Heals and the Rug Company.

RetailCraft 01 – David Kohn of Heals – “probably the most sceptical man in the industry”? Surely not!

RetailCraft 02 – Sarah Stagg of The Rug Company and the 2018 IREU Top500

Webinars

Find out more about upcoming InternetRetailing webinars and register for free on the InternetRetailing webinar page. You can also catch up with past webinars on the page.

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