Category: Discounting

  • Black Friday: The Consumer Has a Pulse

    This is an excerpt. If you’d like to read the full article (for free), visit Retail Disrupted.

    There are so many hot takes on Black Friday. It’s always either a record-breaking bumper Black Friday or a “bit of a damp squib”. (Can you tell I’ve lived in the UK for half my life?)

    My point is that sometimes things are a little more nuanced than that, and Black Friday needs particularly careful interpretation this year. I went on BBC News this morning to discuss how retailers might have fared during one of the most important shopping events of the year.

    Note: “might have fared” and that’s because when you do TV at 5:30am on Cyber Monday, you only have a few weekend released surveys to go on (see NationwideRetailNext).

    This was the first real test of consumer sentiment following the Budget and, based on early data, it’s fair to say that the consumer still has a pulse. Consumers are feeling optimistic about their personal finances. Yes, there is understandable anxiety about the economic outlook (more on that in a sec), but right now they’re feeling confident in their ability to spend and eager to grab a bargain.

    To read the full article, visit Retail Disrupted, a free newsletter on the latest trends and innovations impacting the global retail sector.

  • A Year of Stagnation

    Paul Martin, Global Retail Lead and Head of UK Retail at KPMG is the first Retail Disrupted guest of 2024. In this episode, Paul and Natalie explore:

    🔹 The bifurcation of retail winners and losers.
    🔹 Why consumers will be battening down the hatches in H1.
    🔹 Breaking down the BRC-KPMG December sales data.
    🔹 Promotions, margins, and the importance of stock visibility.
    🔹 Economic outlook and impact of attacks on container ships in the Red Sea.
    🔹 Opportunities for retailers in 2024 and beyond.


  • It’s Going To Be a Bumper Black Friday

    Love it or loathe it, Black Friday has become a permanent fixture on the UK retail calendar.

    Carrying black Friday paperbags

    In this episode, Natalie shares her predictions and general observations around Black Friday 2023. You’ll learn:

    • Why Natalie is expecting a strong turnout this year.
    • Black Friday creep – why retailers like John Lewis are going earlier than ever before.
    • Whether the growing skepticism around Black Friday will impact shoppers’ willingness to participate.
    • Why blanket discounts are out and targeted promotions are in.
    • What the ONS and BRC data tells us about Black Friday 2023.
  • Primed to Spend?

    It’s Amazon Prime Day and the bargains are flying – but will shoppers bite? What’s new this year and how has the competition responded? In this episode, Natalie also shares her views on Amazon’s latest personalisation efforts. Amazon may be the Everything Store, but it’s not exactly the Inspirational Store. How might personalised deals feeds, liveshopping and Prime Day experiences help Amazon to shift its utilitarian image?