Although I’m sure all of us would love to look inside a crystal ball to see what the year ahead has in store for us, retailers should look to use 2022 to prepare themselves for the fact that change is just as inevitable as it is unpredictable.

The retail industry is challenged by labour shortages across the board, from delivery drivers to warehouse staff, from store staff to IT specialists. And it’s a challenge faced everywhere from the UK to the US and Australia. But what can retailers realistically do to address the issue?

When Ebenezer Scrooge was stuck in his ways, he had the benefit of timely visits from the ghosts of the past, present and future to teach him how to change his ways. As we move into 2022, we come bearing a candid look at the past, present, and future for retailers too. Sitting comfortably?

Making retail easier. Quite a neat new strapline if you ask us. But leaving marketing speak behind, what does that really mean? In this blog, Retail Directions’ MD, Andrew Gorecki, discusses the thinking behind our new strapline, considering why retail has become so complicated and how retailers can overcome complexity to make their lives easier.

This Black Friday event will be the second since the pandemic, and quite what it will bring – online and instore - is unknown. One thing is certain though – retailers really do need to be ready for anything.

Many retailers have experienced online sales booms during the pandemic as customers flocked online, denied the ability to shop in stores during lockdowns.

How the COVID emergency showed Cotton On Group a glimpse into the future of eCommerce and that anything is possible with agility and cost control.

Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (aka FUD), the infamous sales and marketing technique, has become even more common in our digital age. So, when retailers find themselves exposed to a barrage of scary information about the impending retail apocalypse, they should be wary – someone is definitely trying to sell them something.