Amazon plans to open as many as six more cashierless stores in 2018, according to a report. The e-commerce giant is considering locations in Los Angeles and hometown Seattle, where the first Amazon Go store opened in January, Recode reported, citing people familiar with the situation. Amazon Go is the company’s most ambitious effort to […]
Lidl, the UK’s seventh largest retailer, has launched its first fully-automated, AI-powered, Facebook Messenger chatbot to help UK customers select the best wine whatever the meal or moment. Users simply type in a wine question and voilà, the answer appears! Lidl’s new chatbot – named Margot – will perform the role of shoppers’ virtual wine […]
UK online retail sales were up 12.1% on average year-on-year (YoY) in 2017, according to the latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. Compared to 2016’s YoY average of 15.9%, and just under 2 percentage points lower than the Index’s 2017 forecast of 14%, the fall in annual growth is one of multiple […]
Amazon is finally opening its checkout-free brick-and-mortar convenience store to the public, nearly a year after it originally planned to open its doors. Amazon Go is an 1,800 square foot automated store based at Amazon Seattle headquarters. The store relies on sensors and cameras to detect what items shoppers have taken from the shelves, […]
Consumers are engaging with retail brands on more channels than ever before – from Voice Assistants, smartphones, to smartwatches – with online continuing to take a sizeable share of total spend. It means that retailers are under increasing demand to ensure their entire cross-channel offering is seamless, and create exceptional customer experiences at every single […]
UK short break specialist Center Parcs has introduced a new online booking system, designed by digital agency Code Computerlove. The new accommodation booking experience follows the launch of a new site design, which was implemented by Adobe. “We’ve been working closely with the Center Parcs team, carrying out extensive research to understand the unique needs of […]
Consumers are increasingly taking charge of their own wellbeing and have become experts on their own health and beauty needs, choosing products that suit their lifestyles. A whitepaper from leading brand and packaging design specialist Sun Branding Solutions reveals that while this growing ‘betterment’ trend presents brands and retailers with a huge opportunity, they need […]
Capgemini’s Digital Transformation Institute has released a new report titled, “Conversational Commerce: Why Consumers Are Embracing Voice Assistants in Their Lives,” which highlights how consumers are using voice assistants and the opportunities this creates for businesses to connect with their customers. The report, which surveyed more than 5,000 consumers in the US, UK, France and […]
Steven Cook, former Chief Merchant of Canada’s luxury retailer, Holt Renfrew, is to join Debenhams as Managing Director of Fashion and Home. Taking up the position from early January 2018, Cook will lead the business unit that oversees the organisation’s buying, design and merchandising divisions for these categories as it continues to implement the Debenhams […]
Trickery is trending this holiday season – at least for online criminals. Forty-five percent of shoppers worry about unintentionally buying imitation goods over the winter holiday, according to the latest research from MarkMonitor , the world leader in enterprise brand protection. Despite the fact that 91% said they wouldn’t knowingly buy a counterfeit product as a […]