The Retail Planner is my way of delving into the whys and hows of brand strategy for the industry I have worked in for the last 20 years. Here, I write about the latest industry news that piques my interest for phygital retail and sharing my point of view.
I’m a retail industry insider inspired by the paradigm shift that is shaking up the retail market as we know it: how physical stores, digital and online worlds plus social commerce are converging to give us an immediate, convenient new world of engaging retail theatre. Some say the store is dead, I say watch how technology is transforming the shopping experience.
About me:
Retail B2B journalist and editor with experience across data intelligence trends, consumer shopping insights and industry analysis.
Insights content specialist with a current focus on travel retail and the business of shopper marketing. Trends analyst who wants to interpret the way people are living their lives, and to translate this knowledge into actionable brand strategies that are relevant and genuine. A data-driven retail expert who joins the dots, evaluates new markets and spots emerging trends that are commercially viable.
After 20 years of writing for some of the best insights, strategy and lifestyle trends publications, I am a retail expert with a passion for analytics. My preferred topics are the worlds of physical/digital retail strategy, omnichannel, store experience, customer path-to-purchase and progressive e-commerce. I analyse market news for innovation and business opportunities to identify the value to brands. I love discovering retail-theatre wherever consumers go. Right now, I think AI and frictionless shopping experiences represent an exciting future for brands, especially in a post-Covid low-touch economy.
I bring a wealth of industry experience as a fashion and retail journalist to the agencies and brands I am now freelancing for. During the last 20 years I have travelled the globe reporting from fashion’s front line while being a retail spy for WGSN and other forecasting services such as Stylus and Trendstop. I have written for industry publications including Viewpoint, Surface, Drapers and I have a consumer-focus retail column for the blog DisneyRollerGirl. For five years I was contributing retail editor for LS:N Global, the consumer insight and trend forecasting service from The Future Laboratory, with clients including M&S, LVMH, Condé Nast, Selfridges, Harrods, Net-a-Porter. I have also consulted for retailers such as Pentland and Aldo as well as retail agencies Portland Design and Fitch. More recently I was Intelligence Editor at Global Blue where I covered travel retail luxury shopper trends and Associate Editor at DFNI where my focus was the convergence of digital and the travel retail industry.
My speciality is fashion, beauty and luxury retail strategy from online platforms to physical-digital integration and consumer shopping behaviour. While I am enamoured by the digital journey to purchase, I also love discovering good old retail theatre.