Effective retail merchandising and the adoption of perceptive commercial marketing strategies are becoming ever-more important in today’s fiercely competitive retail environment. With so many brands and retailers competing for custom across the multi-channel commercial platform that defines modern day retailing, directors and planners are increasingly reliant upon the provision of accurate data and analytics to ascertain the true effectiveness of their current retail marketing charter. However, it is how that final data is actually used and implemented into the overall business plan that will determine its true effectiveness in the long term.

For many years, the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon, has led the way in terms of capturing big data and adapting its business according to its findings. Utilising the latest in collaborative filtering technology, Amazon can present automatic purchase recommendations to individual customers based upon purchase history, browser history and even recent activity on social media.

Continual advances in technology are changing the face of the retail industry forever. The ability to be able to produce detailed analytics of sales and stock reports from across an entire estate in the blink of an eye means that retailers are much better placed to implement effective retail marketing strategies.