Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know
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Believe it or not, we’ve reached the halfway point of 2023, and we’re marking the occasion this week by taking a look back at our coverage so far this year. We’re starting, appropriately enough, with Q1, when we covered future predictions, robots in retail, and supply chains.
The year ahead
Were people still interested in the metaverse all the way back in 2021 January? We were certainly interested in what Web3 moves brands might be considering for the coming year. We were also very interested—and still are—in what insiders had to say about the immediate future of resale, and discount and off-price retail. Of course, we were at NRF’s Big Show, where retailers had some predictions of their own.
Robots in retail
You can’t discuss retail these days without the conversation turning to automation and robots. We checked in with some experts in February about the future of robotics in retail. We also spoke with two companies using robots to crack the code on grocery delivery, and we visited Prince Tea House in New York, where Bella, who happens to be a robot, waited on us. Chatbots are robots, right? Sure. Well, they’re evolving, and improving the customer experience in the process, though challenges remain. And can automation transform fashion design?
Supply chains
When did it become the norm to blame just about everything on “supply chain issues”? Sometime between March 2020 and…yesterday, undoubtedly. But what exactly are those issues, and how are things looking in 2023? We know credit card issuers faced chip shortages during the pandemic and cardless transactions accelerated, so where does that leave physical credit cards today? It’s fair to say the pandemic wreaked havoc on the supply chain; enter AI-powered automation, which is transforming retail work. And how about putting together a show during fashion week amid supply chain disruptions? Additionally, we spoke with Rothy’s chief supply chain officer about circularity and the company’s vertically integrated supply-chain model.
For a look at Q2, click here.