Sweft ’s Post

𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 is critical for brands today. When digital grew exponentially during the Pandemic, many retailers couldn’t focus on efficiency - "just get it done" was a necessary mantra. Now, after eCommerce has seen 2 years of negative or flat growth, the focus has shifted to profitability. For many retailers, this is an existential problem. A lack of profitability has brought down major retailers and brands in recent years. The industry needs to learn from this and determine how to achieve more with less. Recently, James and I had the opportunity to meet with Mark and David of the Multichannel Success Podcast and delve into the reasons why focusing on efficiency has become paramount for retailers. With digital growth stabilizing post-pandemic, sustainable profitability hinges on efficiency. This discussion became the sixth episode of this season's Multichannel Success Podcast, where we share our thoughts on the shift from explosive digital growth to strategic investment decisions to improve the bottom-line. Technology plays a crucial role in improving efficiency, and we also discuss how #eCommerce integration, reducing time to market, and managing product information are key to staying competitive. Plus, we touch on the importance of company culture and employee experience in driving efficiency. Looking ahead, retail efficiency will likely involve a blend of AI augmentation and a more interconnected, transparent organization that focuses on value-added activities. Measuring efficiency can involve simple measures such as Revenue per Employee, all the way through to complex indicators such as product speed-to-market. Unit economics provide a fuller understanding of performance. Retailers, take note: this shift is imminent, and preparation is essential! LISTEN HERE: https://lnkd.in/enQ3QKJh As always, we at Sweft are delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor the Podcast - find out more about how you can optimize your eCommerce back-office operations at: https://www.gosweft.com/ David Worby, Mark Pinkerton, James Brooke, Julie Bula, Ranjana Sharma #RetailEfficiency #multichannelsuccess

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, and why it is critical for retailers today. With the massive growth in digital during Covid-19, many didn’t focus on efficiency - just get it done was the mantra. Now with two years of negative or at best flat growth in eCommerce, the focus has very much changed to profitability. And, for many retailers, it's an existential problem. We’ve seen major retailers and brands fail due to lack of profitability. We all need to learn from this and work out how we can do more, with less. A month or so back, Michael and I together with Mark and David had the opportunity to delve into why focusing on efficiency has become paramount for retailers. With digital growth stabilising post-pandemic, efficiency emerges as one of the key driver of sustainable profitability. In this, the sixth episode in this season's Multichannel Success Podcast, we share our thoughts on the shift from explosive digital growth to strategic investment decisions that improve the bottom-line. With the crucial role of technology in improving efficiency, we also discuss how #eCommerce integration, reducing time to market, and managing product information are key to staying competitive. Plus, we touch on the importance of company culture and employee experience in driving efficiency. The future of retail efficiency looks to be a blend of AI augmentation and a more interconnected, transparent organisation that focuses on value-added activities. Measuring efficiency can involve siple measure such as Revenue per Employee, all the way through to  compoun measures such as how quickly products go to market, all whilst dealing with more channels and greater content demands. Unit economics provides the real understanding of performance.   Retailers be warned - you need to get ready for this! LISTEN HERE: https://lnkd.in/enQ3QKJh As always, we at Sweft are delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor the Podcast - find out more about how you can optimise your eCommerce back-office operations at: https://www.gosweft.com/ #RetailEfficiency #multichannelsuccess

Here's the latest in our new season of podcasts on driving multichannel success. It's about how improving the efficiency of your eCommerce operations has become more important than ever. For many of us our early experience in eCommerce was largely one of managing growth. You turned up for work to find your sales had grown again in double digits and getting hold of more budget / people / tech was your biggest challenge. Profit was a secondary, even tertiary concern. Now, with growth stagnating and digital channels having to pay their own way, things feel very different. That's why we focus in this episode on efficiency and how you get more from your resources. We're joined by special guests James Brooke and Michael Robinson from Sweft . Both have incredible hands-on experience, James in eCommerce technology and Michael in retail, and know what it takes to run digital operations profitably. They've recently launched Sweft, which is all about helping retailers get products to market on time and without wasted effort. We touch on this and a range of other key areas that retailers should be focusing on. In most of the businesses I worked in, doing things efficiently was not a choice, it was a necessity. We were constantly short of people and money so were always looking for ways to simplify and streamline. I suspect many of you feel the same. If you do, this episode is well worth a listen. LISTEN HERE: https://lnkd.in/enQ3QKJh Many thanks to our sponsor for this season – Sweft (www.gosweft.com) and to my colleagues Mark Pinkerton and David Worby from PROSPERO #multichannelsuccess #ecommerce #digitalstrategy #efficiency #digitalretail

2024 has been a 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟 of a year! We've got you covered for what comes next, and we're giving this away - FREE 👇 💥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦💥 Your inside scoop and ultimate guide on what's shaping #ecommerce now and where it's headed for 2025, and beyond. (Genuinely, no other #ShopifyPlusAgency offers this. Just saying.) By 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦, we mean: ✅ Insights from 17 leading experts* ✅ New trends and must-watch themes ✅ 2025 predictions you 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 to know ✅ Real-world strategies that actually work 💎 And plenty more.... Get the insights. Stay ahead. No fluff - just real talk and big moves. Just a few clicks away 👉 https://lnkd.in/enn-PGTn *PS. Here are some of the heavy-hitters we teamed up with for this year's 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 (Yep, we're totally name-dropping. No shame.) Hunter Boots UK, Juicy Couture, Batra Group, Yasamine Beheshti Chloë Thomas (eCommerce MasterPlan), Alex(Ali) R. (The Retail Podcast), Renee Hartmann (CLA), Nathan Lomax, Ricardo Williams Littledata, Gorgias, Swap, Advanced Commerce, SparkLayer B2B, Mollie, Rebuy Engine, Spin, LiveMeUp, Linnworks, Yotpo, Klaviyo, and Brightpearl by Sage #Ecommerce #Strategy #2025Predictions #Retail

It was a pleasure to have shared my insights on the future of e-commerce over the next five years, in Quickfire Digital - Shopify Plus Agency 'State of e-Commerce' guide ✍ 📔 . Curious about what’s ahead? Download the paper here: https://lnkd.in/enn-PGTn

Listen to the latest podcast by Grant Thornton LLP (US) partner Kevin Kelly, that provides remarkable insights on how retailers can find success by being agile in 2024. Learn more about the industry trends and various parameters that a retailer should consider before taking a decision. #loyalty #customerpreference #agility #dynamicenvironment #retail #data

This week on the Ecommerce Braintrust podcast I’m joined by Acadia's CEO, Jared Belsky to talk about a topic he is quite passionate about: The Retail Media Island. While we are in the midst of the “Retail Media Era,” a time when retail media is booming, in many organizations retail media remains siloed.  The siloes can be through funding of investments, organizational structure or even creatively.  Jared and I discuss a few ways in which brands can work to break down those siloes and integrate retail media more effectively within an organization.   Among the strategic actions a brand can take is unified budgeting: consolidating various budgets—for Amazon, performance media, and brand media—into a single, omni-channel funding bucket. This approach allows funds to be allocated more fluidly based on strategic ROI profiles rather than being restricted by pre-defined, siloed budgets. Jared's take on the issue of the retail media island is ultimately a very optimistic one. While the siloes can present challenges now, just imagine the opportunity that can be realized as we work to remove them. Listen by searching for “ecommerce braintrust” in your favorite podcast app, or streaming via the link in the comments. 

Retail has always been a dynamic environment. It is an evolution, not a revolution. And it is never boring. Check out my podcast where I discuss some retail & consumer industry trends. If you would like to chat about retail, and how #grantthornton works with companies in this dynamic industry send me a note to connect.

The latest Inside Commerce podcast has landed. 😍 Loyalty in ecommerce. How Can Premium Brands Land A Winning Loyalty Strategy? We sat down with Limesharp owner Ed Bull, who recently launched loyalty as a service (LaaS). Ed, Paul Rogers and I have all worked on various loyalty programmes, as well as experiencing this with a customer lens. The episode is packed with insights. A few key takeaways: 💯 Loyalty programs are evolving beyond traditional points systems. 💲 CFOs are crucial in discussions about loyalty program profitability. 🫥 Loyalty doesn't have to be publicly advertised to be effective. 📉 Tracking unspent loyalty points is essential for program management. 🎯 Gamification can enhance customer interaction with brands. 🙎♀️ The future of loyalty will focus on hyper-personalisation. 🙋♂️ Influencer partnerships can create unique loyalty experiences. Check out the clip and make sure you tune in for the full episode - link in the comments. And please do share your tips on what a good loyalty programme looks like thanks, James & Paul

Calling all eCommerce experts 🎙 I’m looking for podcast guests, specifically Brand and Retail founders, VPs, and C-suite execs, to join me for my next season of eCommerce masters. With the holiday season fast approaching, I’m ready to discuss hot takes and tips to help B2B and B2C retailers navigate: - Major shopping trends  - Marketing tips via online ads  - The best emerging channels  - How to manage growth and scaling your teams Sounds like you, or know someone? Tag them below or shoot me a DM. #ecommerce #holidayshopping #podcastguests