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EDITORIAL How Quiz, Ikea, M&S, New Balance, Cath Kidston and The Hut Group are responding as shoppers shift online

Image: Fotolia

Image: Fotolia

Retailers in different categories have been affected very differently as shoppers have moved to do more of their shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. Some have benefited because their sector has been well-favoured by the shift to home working, but others have been hit hard. But most see the need to change their business models as they plan for the longer-term. 

In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter we’re reporting as Quiz counts the cost of both a challenging year and Covid-19 on its business. The retailer sells in a fashion sector that’s been badly affected by the effects of the pandemic lockdown – and within that it sells smart casual clothing that’s now less relevant to shoppers who now go out less than they did – and do different things when they do. It’s now responding with a focus on selling online more profitably, a restructuring of its store estate and a shift away from occasion wear to more casual lines. 

Today we report on how Marks & Spencer is preparing for a Christmas that it expects to be more digital than ever. It’s investing in new staff in its distribution centre and new digital processes in-store. That’s what the Royal Mail expects as well, and it’s boosting its delivery and sorting staff by more than 30,000 in response

We also report on how Ikea is using cloud to respond to Covid-19 and plan for the future, how Cath Kidston, reinvented as a pureplay, is now looking ahead to a digital-first future, how New Balance is using microservices to improve its customers’ experience, and how The Hut Group is looking ahead to the Christmas quarter of the year after strong online growth so far this year

In today’s guest comment, Zoe Brimelow of Duo UK outlines why businesses need to re-evaluate packaging strategies and incorporate sustainability into the packaging lifecycle and supply chains.

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