Beyond Retail

The initial ‘response’ phase of the pandemic is over. Now, as we’re adjusting to a state of normal(ish), it’s a good time to take stock and evaluate the current state of UK retail and hospitality.

We’ve seen that many retailers used the downtime of the pandemic to diversify their sales channels. The boundaries between in-store and online have become increasingly blurred, and new channels and experiences are emerging. But how do we ensure that the values and personality of a brand stay consistent across the board?

In this season of Beyond Retail, we explore the shape of retail ambition and look at how the lessons learned over the last two years are evolving the industry. In this premiere episode, we focus on how the explosion of diverse channels in the face of a global crisis turned out not to be just a temporary emergency measure, but a recipe for future success.

The digital transformation during the pandemic means that consumers now expect more, faster, and with greater flexibility. Crew Clothing is a fashion brand that has had to adapt to changing consumer demands. Head of IT, Richard Surman, walks us through how they’re incorporating digital transformation to meet evolving consumer expectations such as potentially incorporating cryptocurrency payments. But what exactly are consumers’ demands, and how can we future-proof our retail operations to better predict and meet the needs of the consumers of the future? KPMG’s head of consumer markets, Linda Elliot breaks down the changes that she’s seen and what we can expect in the future when it comes to sustainability, cost, and digital engagement.

One of the UK’s leading business experts and “customer whisperer'' Kate Hardcastle joins us to provide insights into how to provide a single identity across retail channels. It’s all about maintaining consistency across touchpoints and keeping the human element within all interactions.

If you want to find out more about the technology and behavioural trends influencing retail, visit https://www.adyen.com/landing/online/us/download-the-retail-report-2022 to download Adyen’s latest research report.

The retail landscape is rapidly changing alongside both global shifts and local pressures. Accelerated by the pandemic, businesses are now blurring the lines between digital and physical experiences. This shift towards multiple, connected sales channels has helped build resilience for many businesses. In fact, recent Adyen research has found that 74% of businesses that connect their sales channels expect to grow by more than 20% this year.

That doesn’t mean the pressure is off. Rising interest rates and crippling costs of living, coupled with the social and political upheavals of the past few years have seen customers evaluating the impact of their spending with increased scrutiny. Not only do consumers need their money to stretch further, they increasingly expect their purchases to align with their social and environmental values as well.

With market uncertainty on the horizon, long-term customer loyalty is more important than ever. To secure it, businesses will have to adapt to the changing needs of their customers.

In this episode of Beyond Retail, we’ll explore how businesses can prove that they're worthy of that long term loyalty with insights from industry experts such as: Adyen Account Managers Ellie Jaggs and Milou van der Lans; Hannah Meyer, a Senior Marketing Manager at Trustpilot; Nick Popovici, CEO of Vita Mojo; Chris Matthews, Global DTC Channel Director at Brompton Bicycle; and Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium.

We’ll also hear a number of first-hand consumer perspectives on topics such as the effectiveness of loyalty programs, how a company’s corporate values can attract more customers, and how consumers are assessing their social responsibility when making purchasing decisions.

If you want to find out more about the technology and behavioural trends influencing retail, visit https://www.adyen.com/landing/online/uk/2022/retail-report to download Adyen’s latest research report.

Not that long ago, you’d only expect a personalised customer experience if you were a regular repeat customer on your local high street - or if you happened to be a VIP shopping at Gucci. But that’s no longer the case. Today, a few data points can potentially give businesses a wealth of insight into their customers. And the information is already out there - all retailers need is a good data strategy to utilise it.

Of course it isn’t always that simple, but businesses are getting better at capturing and using data. Adyen’s latest retail report revealed that 28% of businesses are using it to improve their services , and a further 27% are using it to build a better picture of their customers.. On top of that, many consumers today are happy to share data; 47% say they’re willing to supply information to brands in order to save time and personalise the shopping experience.

In this episode of Beyond Retail we explore the importance of data and how brands are using it to gain a competitive edge. From uncovering trends, to creating unique shopper journeys, we uncover a multitude of benefits of a strong data strategy. Join us as we hear from special guests, including: team lead of Unified Commerce at Adyen UK, Joe Dupre; global DTC channel director at Brompton bicycle, Chris Matthews; and data advisor, futurist and author of the award winning book, Business Trends In Practice, Bernard Marr. Together, they explain how data can strengthen a brand’s performance and enhance consumer interactions..

We discover how the pandemic affected not just footfall in-store and online sales, but how it disrupted shopper habits, creating a data black hole. Chris Matthews walks us through Brompton Bicycle’s approach to data as it shifts its business model to direct-to consumer. And Bernard Marr reveals some of the latest trends that are helping brands to gather better insights while he shares his thoughts on how GDPR is a force for good (business).

If you want to find out more about the technology and behavioural trends influencing retail, visit https://www.adyen.com/landing/online/uk/2022/retail-report to download Adyen’s latest research report.

Brands are spoilt for choice when it comes to business tools; POS systems, CRM databases, even social media. These technologies are just a sampling of the plethora of services available to help retailers function and evolve. But one class of tool really making a difference is platforms. Platforms for E-commerce, platforms for managing business - no matter where they’re rolled out, what they really are are platforms for growth.

Platforms are allowing brands to scale faster, collect deeper insights and integrate new functionality more easily than ever before. But with more bespoke options appearing every day, and incumbent platforms continually upping their service, it's tricky to know which services to grab with both hands and which to let pass by.

In this season finale of Beyond Retail, we explore the platforms that are helping brands to stay on top in light of increasing competition and decreasing disposable incomes. Join us as we speak with leading experts in the platform economy: Chief Product Officer at Epos Now, Nathan Gill; Author of 'Embedded Finance: When Payments Become An Experience', Co-founder and Chief Commercial & Growth Officer at Fiat Republic, Sophie Guibaud; and Sunday Times Columnist, Chair of the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs, and Founder of Lily Blanche Jewellery, Gillian Crawford.

We discover which platforms are helping business owners manage their day-to-day operations and which integrations are bringing brands and consumers the financial tools they need, when they need them. And we'll find out how platforms such as EBay and Etsy are helping small businesses compete with household names and complementing big-brand brick and mortar.

If you want to find out more about the technology and behavioural trends influencing retail, visit https://www.adyen.com/landing/online/uk/2022/retail-report to download Adyen’s latest research report.

Throughout this season, we’ve explored the value that atmosphere, design, and innovative tech provide when boosting customer experience. But as an industry built on people, F&B is increasingly shifting its focus inward to find new ways to enhance the experience of those who keep the businesses running – staff.

In this episode of Beyond Retail, we investigate the ways in which brands are enhancing the everyday tasks of their frontline staff. We hear about the changes being made to improve the service industry, which has traditionally been associated with strenuous schedules, few employee perks, and high turnover rate. We learn about what employers are doing to make the work in this field more attractive in order to retain existing employees, and attract new staff.

We speak with Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality to learn about the effects a post-pandemic landscape and growing cost of living crisis are having on employee recruitment and retention rates. We also talk to Christophe Delacroix, co-founder and CEO of Storekit, who teaches us about the technology helping brands through the recruitment process, and easing the strain of service staff.

CEO of TiPJAR, Ben Thomas, tells us more about tipping in the industry, explaining the complexity of increased legislation around it and sharing new initiatives aimed at promoting tip transparency between workers and employers.

And Hemmo Bosscher, SVP of Platforms and Financial Services at Adyen, gives us a deeper understanding of the platforms built to alleviate pressure on food and beverage businesses by streamlining services, tasks, and functions.

If you want to find out more about technology and behavioral trends, visit Adyen.com/en_GB/ for more