ePOD could mean 67 per cent more shoppers go online to buy Every year the Christmas sales figures highlight a huge increase in the numbers of shoppers choosing to buy online, and this provides a yardstick for the industry. With 2008 showing every sign of being a tough trading year, retailers need to be smart in identifying ways they can maximise both sales and margins. And keeping the customer exceptionally happy is always a good place to start, says James Hannay, managing director at Zetes

From concept to cash register – faster and more profitably More and more retailers are attempting to improve profits and customer loyalty with the launch of own-label products. But success is never guaranteed. Gurdip Singh and Chuck Kramer from i2 Technologies explain why retailers must optimise their supply chain cycles to succeed

UK consumers hungry for more internet printable vouchers As the UK consumer continues to voraciously embrace the internet and become increasingly sophisticated in its online behaviour, advertisers need to respond with innovative, interactive campaigns that maximise consumer value and reflect trends in this behaviour, argues Jared Keen, managing director at Couponstar

No desk + no Blackberry = no communication? In an era of employee self service and strong environmental policies, why are UK retailers still reliant on expensive, slow and unreliable paper based processes to communicate with the large numbers of employees working outside the office, asks Simon Paton, managing director at CommuniGate UK

Rocking all over the world Richard Smith, managing director at PCMS, discusses how IT providers can help drive a retailer’s business from a number of perspectives, by giving them the additional functionality that will differentiate them from the competition

Unifying your communications Mature unified communications applications are a simple and elegant means to exploit your existing investments in IT and telecom infrastructure, but what value do they offer the retailer? Peter Burton, marketing manager at Siemens Enterprise Communications, discusses the possibilities

Forensic approach Simon Grant, CEO of IntelliQ, explains the forensic approach to tackling retail “shrinkage"

PCI DSS deadline a dead duck? Chris Barling, CEO at Actinic, asks: will the new deadline of June 2008 go the same way as the last?

Ringing the changes Flawed customer communication could be damaging your brand, according to Jeremy Isaacs, key account manager at retail telecom specialist TeliNet

UK online shopping grows, but are retailers ready? There is no doubt that the number of people online is increasing at a phenomenal pace. With online spending in the UK expected to hit £39 billion by 2010, retailers need to ensure their websites are able to handle the increase in the number of consumers looking to use the web to make purchases, research products or have their queries answered online, says Ian Jones, head of strategic solutions at eGain