VM Unleashed

What makes a successful physical retail shop? Astute Strategies & Creative Concepts

What makes a successful physical retail shop?: Astute strategies & creative concepts Without doubt the first-hand customer experience is the essential interaction that makes a physical retail shop a commercial and brand success. But as with the proverbial iceberg, there are a multitude of strategies and operational activities that go towards delivering that first-hand experience, and into making any shop, a success. And now that physical shops exist in a-

The ‘ZtoA of Retail Disruption’ blog

Tim Radley 'The ZtoA of Retail Disruption'

The 4 reasons why retailers behave ethically & ‘change for the better’

The invasion of Ukraine, as with COVID before, is showing us the ‘Ethical DNA’ of our favourite brands & retailers There are 4 reasons why retail and consumer brands behave ethically and “change for the better.” It is simply in their DNA. They respond proactively by asking customers and staff how they should change. They respond reactively when falling customer loyalty, sales and profits force them to change. They only-

IKEA: The value of ‘groundwork’ not ‘deskwork’ . From ‘customer to community experiences!’

IKEA: ‘A lively happening’ coming soon to a place nearby There are many interesting learnings from the opening of the new IKEA shops across the globe, not least the fact that the roll-out is happening at a pace against a back-drop of shop closures, particularly amongst established chains. There is much to digest in the location of the shops, the retail and social environments that IKEA is creating around them,-

“The Little Loop’ and the Dragon’s/Dinosaur’s Den Dilemma”

“The Little Loop’ and the Dragon’s/Dinosaur’s Den Dilemma” What an amazing episode of the BBC’s Dragon’s Den which saw a children’s clothing rental start-up split the opinions and sentiments of the five resident dragons straight down the middle. Charlotte Morley, founder and ceo of shared children’s wardrobe, The Little Loop, entered the Den and came away with investments from two Dragons and twice the amount she had pitched for. This has-

Judging begins for the VMRD Retail Design Awards 2022

It is that exciting time of year again, to begin judging the entrants for the 2022 VMRD Retail Design Awards. From experience as an awards presenter, I know that the ceremony itself is a great spectacle and a place of high excitement and emotion. These awards mean a lot in the retail industry in Asia and beyond. It is quite an accolade. However I have to say that I also-

“Working with the Cottage Customer“ – Re-commerce & the Circular Economy

Tim Radley:“Re-commerce & the Circular Economy”The World Consumer Goods & Retail Forum 2022 23rd – 24th June 2022Amsterdam, Netherlands The re-commerce model, also known as the circular economy, has become an important strategy for many retail verticals, especially as physical retail continues to lose its footing. But it’s not without its challenges.In this session, Tim Radley will explore how the disruptors are seeing success and the common pitfalls to avoid-

“Encouraging Lifecycles with the Customer” – Re-commerce & the Circular Economy

Tim Radley:“Re-commerce & the Circular Economy”World Consumer Goods & Retail Forum 2022 23rd – 24th June 2022Amsterdam, Netherlands The re-commerce model, also known as the circular economy, has become an important strategy for many retail verticals, especially as physical retail continues to lose its footing. But it’s not without its challenges.In this session, Tim Radley will explore how the disruptors are seeing success and the common pitfalls to avoid Lifecycles-

Tim Radley: Speaking about “Re-commerce & the Circular Economy” at the World Retail Forum 2022

Tim Radley: Speaking about “Re-commerce & the Circular Economy” at the World Consumer Goods & Retail Forum 2022 17th – 18th March 2022Amsterdam, Netherlands The re-commerce model, also known as the circular economy, has become an important strategy for many retail verticals, especially as physical retail continues to lose its footing. But it’s not without its challenges. In this session, Tim Radley will explore how the disruptors are seeing success-

Remake – circularity for the beauty & indulgence of fabric

Remake – circularity for the beauty of fabric Let me introduce Remake to all you fashion followers. This brand lacks nothing in innovation and creativity but has an extraordinary backstory. Remake STHLM started in 2002. It designs and produces fashion that is sustainable for both people and the environment. The materials they use come from gifts donated to the Stockholm City Mission. All of the creations are one-off. They are-

The 6 Best Retail Strategies for 2022: No.6 Retail People Strategies

People: The shopkeepers of today Select any retail business, and you are most likely to discover a culture of colleague collaboration, trust and respect. However, retail has a chequered history of human resource management and interpersonal approaches, to say the least. Even in the best run businesses today there is still plenty of scope for further innovation and disruption to the traditional personnel models. Overall, there is a growing appreciation-

The 6 Best Retail Strategies for 2022: No.5 Sustainability Strategies

Sustainability: Making more from less Time has long passed, from when a sustainable initiative was not much more than a smart marketing strategy. Sustainability has now irreversibly developed into something essential to establish commercial traction with many customers. Responsibility for sustainability has also shifted, from the marketing department to every department across a business. Products are being held up as icons of the sustainable age, and so too are the-

The 6 Best Retail Strategies for 2022: No.4 Physical Shop Strategies

Physical shops: Places in our hearts & minds COVID was supposed to be the death knoll for physical shops. It was of course immensely damaging and resulted in many shops closing and businesses folding. Customers naturally migrated to digital channels, some permanently and others temporarily. Despite the whole channel being closed, the physical shop, in its best incarnations has already continued to bounce back. Despite everything, it is still the-

The 6 Best Retail Strategies for 2022: No.3 Supply Chain Strategies

Supply Chain Partners: In the same boat together The relationship with suppliers has never been so important. The COVID lockdown exposed the dangers of weak supplier integration, whilst the move to remote digital communications highlighted the opportunities for technology applications across new supply chains. Trust between some suppliers and retailers hit an all-time low as orders were cancelled and payments frozen. The repercussions of such actions will set back the-

The 6 Best Retail Strategies for 2022: No.2 Product Assortment Strategies

The Product Assortment. ‘The Crowning of the King’ ‘The Product is King’ or so the old-adage goes. It seems strange to doubt this statement. After all, retail is the process of bringing the product and the customer together. Product is still at the heart of retail, of course, but its role as ‘absolute king’ is changing. Whilst in some businesses it is still everything, in others it is just a-

The 6 Best Retail Strategies for 2022: No.1 Touchpoint & Location Strategies

Touchpoints: ‘Taking it to the customer’ The relationship is shifting from distinctive channels to a continuously changing number of touchpoints. These touchpoints cut across digital and physical channels. They are used by the customer as they please, often with little predictability. Speaking of channels is irrelevant. It is one brand delivering retail services to a transient customer. The touchpoints are used by the customer in two fundamental ways. For inspiration-

Made.com: fabricating a new approach to furniture

Made.com: fabricating a new approach to furniture Made.com was founded in 2010, as an online retail enterprise. As a product of recent times, it exhibits the same entrepreneurial culture, a desire to innovate, and an appetite to disrupt the traditional way of doing things in its own sector, as other digital-first businesses. Imagine a furniture concept that throws out the baggage of the traditional ways and re-invents the whole process-

What are the 6 ‘Astute Strategies‘ for 2022?

Creating a balanced organisation, flexible process flows, and a culture for change will benefit you little, unless you channel these attributes correctly into the brightest opportunities. Every retailer will have different opportunities that will depend on the product and service sectors that they inhabit, the markets in which they operate, their level of ambition and current delivery, and their business strategy. Some opportunities will be common to all. The first-

Building the Retail Organisation of 2022: The Retail Business Funnel

A Complex ‘House of Cards’ ‘The journey to being a modern retail organisation’ will take us on a path through brand propositions, organisational structures, process flows, functional teams, support teams, innovations teams, and external collaborators, all bound together within a dynamic business model which is digital-first. We need to bring together the stability of the organisation, with the dynamics of retail markets and customer behaviour patterns. It is always important-

“Saving Planet Retail” Encouraging Lifecycles with the Customer

Lifecycles with the customer The retail industry’s awareness and considerations about the product lifecycle must now be extended forwards to the customer purchase, their relationship with the product, and its disposal. The retail lifecycle must evolve into the product lifecycle. Changes in retailer mentality The solution is to make more use, and more uses, of what the customer buys. To turn away from the throwaway, to embrace and enjoy possessions.-