All Innovation & disruption articles
-
NewsBodycare announces new partnership to become UK’s ‘first AI retailer’
Health and beauty retailer Bodycare has partnered with an IT services company to delivery the digital infrastructure required to power its new store network, as it ids to become the UK’s ”first AI retailer”.
-
FeatureThe future of fashion consumption: Shein, second-hand and squeezed middles
Just like trends, the way people buy fashion is always in flux, but what do the new patterns of consumption tell us about the future of the category?
-
NewsZara to launch in-store personal styling service
Zara is set to launch its own personal styling service as part of its continued efforts to elevate the customer experience, Retail Week can reveal.
-
Retail VoiceNavigating retail’s challenges: Costs, crime and changing consumer trends
Rising employment costs, fragile consumer confidence and retail crime are weighing heavily on the sector, but there are still opportunities for growth and innovation. Business insurer NFU Mutual examines the key challenges and opportunities shaping retail’s future.
-
Retail VoiceFive trends that will redefine European retail and why retailers can’t wait any longer
AI is no longer just a conference topic. It’s already the operational engine driving Europe’s most competitive retailers
-
Opinion‘Too many strategic decisions are built on underlying tech assumptions that no longer apply’
A surprising number of transformation programmes are built to address familiar challenges without acknowledging how far the parameters of what’s technically possible might shift, maintains AlixPartners’ Brian Kalms
-
AnalysisVirtual try-on: Gimmick or soon to solve the industry’s returns problem?
Virtual try-on and augmented reality (AR) are not new innovations, yet more brands and retailers are investing in this space. Fashion powerhouse Zara is one of them.
-
DataThe Retail Week AI Investment Tracker – how retailers are actually using AI
AI is one of retail’s fastest-moving investment areas. The AI Investment Tracker brings those investments together in one place, so subscribers can quickly see where the technology is being deployed.
-
AnalysisAI agents and assistants: Which retailers are using them for customers and colleagues?
AI is being utilised across all functions in retail, including for marketing, forecasting, commerce, and supply chain.
-
FeatureThe future of beauty and wellness: TikTok, science and beautybots
A lot has changed in health and beauty in recent decades, but what do the behaviours of consumers now mean for the category in the long term?
-
FeatureMarketing: How AI has transformed advertising and brand storytelling
AI’s role in retail has long been a hidden one; tucked away in supply chains, quietly optimising operations. Now, it’s moving to the front of house, reshaping how retailers attract and keep customers.
-
InterviewQ&A: Who Gives A Crap GM on the challenger brand explosion
Anna Dominey, GM of fast-growing challenger brand Who Gives A Crap, speaks to Retail Week about the explosion in disruptors within low-consideration categories.
-
FeatureShein and Temu: can retail ever be the same again?
The ultimate disruptors, Shein and Temu, have built empires on being ultra-cheap, with traditional high street players left to pay the price. Retaliation from new regulators and customs officials is just around the corner, but after changing what Brits think products are worth, will the industry ever go back to normal?
-
NewsChatGPT rolls back instant checkout and launches visual shopping upgrades
OpenAi has rolled out a major upgrade to the shopping experience in ChatGPT, including a more visual way for users to find and compare products.
-
Opinion‘1990s reloaded – why retailers need to respond to the AI revolution’
The ‘90s fundamentally changed consumer behaviour, and the same is happening again. Retailers have an opportunity to learn from the disruption of the last few decades, believes Deloitte’s Oliver Vernon-Harcourt
-
-
FeatureGen X: Are mid-career candidates in retail being sidelined in the pursuit of innovation?
Is the retail industry in danger of losing its position as an employer that enables people to progress to their full potential? Some think so…
-
AnalysisAgentic commerce: Which retailers are embracing this new way of shopping?
More retailers are embracing a new way of shopping by letting AI agents browse, search, recommend, and purchase on behalf of the shopper – known as agentic commerce.
-
Chart of the WeekWhat will disrupt the retail industry the most in 2026?
This year’s edition of the AlixPartners Disruption Index showed that nine out of 10 retail leaders believe industry business models need to change, with the report saying that retail was likely to be one of the most disrupted sectors in the economy
-
FeatureThe future of food and drink consumption: fat jabs, premiumisation and AI
The food and drink industry is hurtling towards yet more change. What should retailers do to prepare?