Inside Retail

This year’s Cyber Weekend race has already begun, but is Black Friday still the biggest annual retail event? This year presents some major changes and challenges requiring your strategy to be sharper than ever.In this episode, Steve Madden’s Vice President of E-Commerce, Colleen Waters joins Grace to share expert knowledge on how retail professionals can survive and thrive during this year’s event.As a seasoned e-commerce leader, Colleen shares how to strike the balance between sharing promotions early and keeping customers engaged. She also sheds light on how customer expectations have changed with the evolution of Black Friday and how to stand out in a fiercely competitive market. Plus, Colleen shares her thoughts on the death of the homepage, how Gen-Z has broken the marketing funnel, and how to manage different customer segments to ensure they want to shop with you more than anyone else!For more insights, head to our resource section on edited.com

Have you ever wondered about the impact of “return-to-store” on a retail store or its staff? Or, wondered how store staff feel when the head office descends on their store? As retail head offices devise ways to get customers back in-store, they often ignore the people who actually know customers best: the frontline staff who interact with them day in and day out.In this eye-opening episode, Grace Hill sits down with Timothy and Jasmine, co-hosts of the chart-topping podcast, The Shop Flaw.  As retail store experts, they reveal the shocking reality of the relationships between the head office and store staff, and discuss why so many HQ initiatives miss the mark.Discover why so many brands misunderstand their core customers, and hear how brands can tap into illuminating insights about who actually drives sales by listening to the experts on the ground – their in-store teams.  For more insights, head to our resource section on edited.com

In this episode, Never Fully Dressed founder and CEO Lucy Aylen joins Grace Hill to share her take on building a successful partywear collection and a brand rooted in community. Lucy shares who the NFD customer is and how she caters to this diverse group of women. She also explains how she balances staying ahead of trends while remaining true to her brand, and her process for building a collection that stands the test of time.Plus, Lucy reveals the 2024 partywear trends she’s excited about and why she won’t be backing certain microtrends, like Blokecore. Tune in to the full episode to learn Lucy’s process for assessing a trend’s relevance and hear a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the brand’s recent US expansion. For more insights, head to our resource section on edited.com

With the Labour Party gaining control in the UK and an impending election in the US, the global political landscape is shifting, and retail is feeling the effects. This week, the CEO of the British Retail Consortium, Helen Dickinson, joins Grace Hill to shed some much-needed light on what the near future could look like. Helen highlights the current challenges the retail fashion sector is facing.  She breaks down the impact politics can have on our industry, including the UK government’s plan to revitalise the high street and shocking research revealing how much retail is overtaxed compared to other industries. For more insights, head to our resource section on edited.com

H&M’s Global Head of External Partnerships and Collaborations, Sylwia Wennberg, joins Grace Hill to explain what exactly makes a brand collaboration successful.In this episode, Sylwia shares the benefits brands can achieve through collaborations, how H&M caters to its broad range of customers, and key lessons learnt from when things don’t go as planned. Plus, she offers her top three pieces of advice for brands seeking to venture into the world of brand collaboration, including exclusive behind-the-scenes insight into famous collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld and Roberto Cavalli. For more insights, head to our resource section on edited.com

To kick off the new season, Gymshark’s Chief Brand Officer, Noel Mack, joins Grace Hill for a masterclass on how to build an engaged and authentic community around your brand.Noel shares how the Gymshark customer has evolved over the years, how they include the customer in every level of decision-making, and how they manage to stay at the forefront of trends. Plus, he explains how Gymshark expertly serves the “gym” customer and why they have no aspirations to be the new Nike. For more insights, head to our resource section on edited.com

Adidas’ Samba trainers have gone beyond cult status – they’ve become an iconic shoe for both Millennials and Gen Z, rewriting the playbook for sneaker success.However, as Samba fatigue sets in across the market, retailers and customers alike want to know what the next big trend will be.In the final episode of the season, Grace Hill is joined by EDITED Retail Analyst Karis Munday, author of the report “What will be the next Samba” (used in reporting by Business of Fashion, Bloomberg, and Hypebeast). Karis and Grace discuss the story of how a single pair of trainers has reshaped the market as well as the power of celebrity endorsements and collaborations. Plus, Karis shares lessons retailers can take from the Samba, key strategies for a successful launch, and ways to continue to drive growth and hype. Have we reached peak Samba? If so, what’s next? For more insights, head to our resource section on edited.com

Vogue Business’s recent sustainability article highlights that, ”A spate of new regulations could come with serious implications for an industry unaccustomed to navigating policy.” The regulatory environment is undergoing such drastic changes that the fashion industry cannot sustain its current operations. Reports forecast that up to 75 percent of existing businesses may vanish within the next three to five years due to their inability to meet compliance standards. Historically, the onus has been on the consumer to recycle, and while brands have a desire to engage, the challenge has always been how? Formerly at ASOS, Simon Platts is now a co-founder of Recomme, a platform that allows brands to easily join the circular economy.In this conversation with Grace Hill, Simon explains the urgent need for a circular economy in the fashion industry, how the Recomme platform is helping brands take responsibility for recycling, and how brands can design products for longevity with profitability in mind.Looking ahead, Simon discusses innovative solutions like product passports to enhance transparency and that  retailers must adapt quickly to scale sustainability efforts and meet consumer expectations.For more insights, head to our resource section on edited.com