Hello and welcome to October: In Review

It’s been a busy month in the US, with over 100 million people already voting in elections. Meanwhile, there have been increasing lockdown restrictions being placed on parts of Europe due to an upsurge in COVID-19 cases – with only ‘essential’ retail being able to operate. In spite of that, many retailers are gearing up for the holiday sales period. Halloween has come and gone, but there is still Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, and the January sales to target. One of the few positives of this pandemic is that it has given retailers an incentive to modernize their stores to guarantee a customer experience that is not only safe, but also seamless, frictionless and convenient.

This month we cover some of the latest customer service innovations that have taken place across the retail industry, from robotic warehouse fulfillment to in-store apps and self-service. With the holiday period coming up convenience stores will be looking to capitalize on those families embarking on road trips in North America so we have also launched an infographic ‘The Challenges faced by Convenience Stores’ which you may wish to view.