Our last post discussed the challenges multi-channel retailers faced in Q1, but there were chinks of light. Here we go deeper into what was working for our retailer leaders as discussed in a recent Retail Leaders Forum - and reveal some potential good news on the...
Every month of Q1 2022 saw sub 20% declines as IMRG reported a quarter that went backwards for many companies in the industry. And with comments ranging from 'lumpy' to 'a shocker', our April Retail Leaders Forum attendees reflected the challenging nature of the last...
If retail figures from 2020 and 2021 have shown us anything, it’s that older customers took to ecommerce in their droves during the pandemic. In fact, internet usage among over-65s shot up by almost 70% between July and November 2021, compared to the same period...
In this online world, where social media and email often dominate retail marketing strategy, it's easy to overlook the value that mail order catalogues have in attracting and engaging customers. Catalogues are a powerful tried-and-tested marketing tool for building...
By David Lockwood, Co-Founder and Insight Director, The Tapestry Agency In the words of nineteenth-century retailer John Wanamaker: "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." Central to this is the question of campaign...
In our latest Retail Leaders Forum, David Lockwood, our Insight Director, chaired a discussion with multi-channel retailers about the challenges of the AW21 season, and how it stood out from previous years. Our last post, Lessons from a unique Autumn/Winter 2021...
The UK’s first post-lockdown Autumn/Winter season has certainly been a mixed bag. ONS figures showed that the retail sector during the final quarter of 2021 grew by 6.2% compared to Q4 2020. Meanwhile, IMRG found that online retail fell by an average of 13%. In this...
In the words of nineteenth-century retailer John Wanamaker: "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." Today, measuring the impact of marketing campaigns is just as important as it ever has been. In a recent Retail...
With customer acquisition costs rising steadily over the past six years, multi-channel retailers across all sectors are turning to subscription-based models to achieve longer-term engagement with their customers. From streaming services (e.g. Netflix), to software...
Many surprising things happened in the world of retail in the last few years. A real eye opener for multi-channel retailers was the speed that previously reluctant older customers took to shopping regularly online, with the number of over 55s trebling this year alone....
For decades, Black Friday has kicked off a critical end-of-year trading period for many retailers. Complex supply chains and changeable customer behaviours have always made this tricky, but 2021 brings a special set of challenges. With this in mind, here are our top...
This month we’ve been chatting to multi-channel retailers about their acquisition strategies for AW21. In our last post, we discussed timings for promotions, discount strategies, and how to create unique marketing campaigns. Here, we explore how retailers can overcome...
Most recently Chief Marketing Officer at global fashion brand Long Tall Sally, she built her reputation as Managing Director of data solutions at Epsilon Abacus. She was a co-founder of the Abacus Alliance that pioneered transaction data-sharing in the UK and a Group Account Director at Claritas (now Acxiom). Lara is a GDPR advocate and was a board member at the Data Protection Network.
Outside work, Lara is a book lover, enjoys adventures abroad, musicals, cycling and walking.