Retail Gazette

11: Blending AI, empathy and experience in modern retail with Monsoon Accessorize

In this episode of Retail Unpacked, we sit down with Zara Gentles, customer engagement manager at Monsoon Accessorize, who brings more than 25 years of hands-on retail experience inside the company to the table.  From the shop floor to leading global CX strategy, Zara has seen firsthand how the customer experience has evolved – and how technology, particularly AI, is now reshaping it once again. We discuss how AI can enhance, rather than replace, the human side of service – improving both customer and employee experience when applied with purpose. In a world where AI has become a buzzword, Zara shares how Monsoon Accessorize approaches innovation by working backwards from the customer’s needs. Expect a frank and insightful conversation that touches on the real use cases for AI in retail, how to avoid tech for tech’s sake, and why the future of great CX is still, fundamentally, human.

10: DP World's John Trenchard on the future of retail's supply chain

On this week's episode of Retail Gazette's Unpacked, we sit down with John Trenchard, who is the vice president of commercial and supply chain at DP World Ports and Terminals UK, leading strategic initiatives at two of the UK's busiest ports, London Gateway and Southampton.  The conversation covers DP World's innovative sustainability programmes like the Modal Shift Programme, significantly reducing truck journeys and emissions by shifting freight to rail, and the recently launched Carbon Inset Programme, which aims to revolutionise the way retailers manage their environmental impact. 

9: Transforming returns from a cost drain to a money maker

8: Understanding the true cost of customer acquisition

7: How can retailers defend themselves in a world filled with fraud?

In 2023 alone, cyber attacks and fraud cost UK retailers a staggering £11 billion in lost revenue. That’s a huge chunk of money to lose for any business, but with retail margins currently razor thin, for many it could be the difference between a healthy turnover, and ceasing training. Retailers need protection from bad actors looking to commit nefarious acts. But with the evolution of criminal tools moving at lightning speed, how is it possible to stay ahead? To answer that question, we’re turning to Eric Horgan, the chief product officer for Europe at card transaction experts Elavon. In the latest episode of Retail Gazette’s Unpacked podcast, Horgan sits down with host Kieran Howells, and gets into the nitty gritty of stemming return policy abuse, combatting online payment fraud, stopping phishing attacks in their tracks, and understanding AI’s role in fuelling fraud. The conversation offers definitive answers on how you, as a business leader, can protect yourself and your customers from devastating losses, and what being perpetually protected from cyber criminals really looks like. For more insight into protecting your business from fraud, download Elavon’s latest report, ‘Five ways retailers can combat the rising threat of fraud’.