UK Post-Pandemic Retail

5 Disruptive Trends and What They Mean for Retailers

Executive Summary

As the UK continues its route out of prohibitive pandemic restrictions, retailers must navigate an altered shopper landscape. Catering to new consumer needs won’t be easy, but it will be vital for success.

How big is the retail opportunity in the UK?

Retail sales dipped slightly during the height of the pandemic but will recover this year to pass £500 billion ($641.18 billion), a figure higher than pre-pandemic sales. Digital sales will underpin most of that growth, with an increase of 19.0% expected in 2021, pushing ecommerce sales to £182.92 billion ($234.57 billion).

What trends are disrupting retail?

There are five key factors UK retailers should note. All retailers should immediately address the three issues of omnichannel retail (specifically, linking physical and digital retailing), delivery, and sustainability. Meanwhile, specific retailers should consider direct-to-consumer (D2C) retail and subscription commerce.

What must UK retailers do to address the opportunities?

Adaptation is key. Traditional, physical-first retailers that have failed to adapt to digital are disappearing from the high street. Digital-only retailers that benefited during the pandemic, meanwhile, are struggling now that shoppers are heading back into stores.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report sizes the opportunity for UK retailers and outlines the key strategies they need to adopt to stay relevant.

KEY STAT: Nearly 40% of UK retail sales will occur online in 2022. But retailers need to focus on both the digital and physical aspects of their customers’ shopping journeys to succeed and thrive.

Here’s what’s in the full report

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22expert perspectives

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    Table of Contents

    1. Executive Summary
    2. Key Points
    3. Understanding the Industry
    1. 5 Trends and Opportunities
    2. Acting on the Opportunities
    3. Insider Intelligence Interviews
    1. Read Next
    2. Sources
    3. Media Gallery

    Interviewed for This Report

    Jonathan Allan
    Puzzel
    CMO
    Interviewed October 8, 2021
    Rob Blake
    Channel Factory
    Country Manager, UK
    Interviewed October 6, 2021
    Mark Cook
    Trax Retail
    Executive Vice President and Head of Retailer Solutions
    Interviewed October 13, 2021
    Faye Daffarn
    Tug
    Managing Director, UK
    Interviewed October 6, 2021
    Lauren Furmidge
    Incubeta
    Account Manager
    Interviewed September 29, 2021
    Al Gerrie
    ZigZag
    Founder and CEO
    Interviewed September 24, 2021
    Lauren Hérouard
    ChannelAdvisor
    Senior Manager, Client Services and Marketplaces, EMEA
    Interviewed October 18, 2021
    Ed Hill
    Bazaarvoice
    Senior Vice President, EMEA
    Interviewed October 13, 2021
    Caroline Hugonenc
    Teads
    Global Vice President, Research and Insights
    Interviewed October 6, 2021
    Kaushik Katari
    Antuit.ai, part of Zebra Technologies
    Chief Product Officer
    Interviewed September 29, 2021
    Amy Lee
    Avery Denison
    Senior Manager, Trends and Insights, Apparel
    Interviewed October 11, 2021
    Scott Lindsay
    ESW
    Head of Marketing, EMEA
    Interviewed September 29, 2021
    Jessica Littlemore
    Channel Factory
    Head of Marketing, EMEA
    Interviewed October 6, 2021
    Jason Mander
    GWI
    Chief Research Officer
    Interviewed October 8, 2021
    Jessica Murphy
    TrueFit
    Co-Founder and COO
    Interviewed October 4, 2021
    Alastair Poole
    Incubeta
    Account Director
    Interviewed September 29, 2021
    Howard Pull
    Mullenlowe Profero
    Head of Strategy
    Interviewed September 24, 2021
    Sarah Rew
    LoopMe
    Senior Director, Global Marketing
    Interviewed September 30, 2021
    Mike Shapaker
    ChannelAdvisor
    CMO
    Interviewed September 20, 2021
    Wayne Snyder
    Blue Yonder
    Vice President, Retail Strategy
    Interviewed October 8, 2021
    Alex Wright
    Blis
    Global Insights Director
    Interviewed September 17, 2021
    Paul Wright
    AppsFlyer
    Managing Director, UK, France, MENA, Turkey
    Interviewed September 30, 2021

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    authors

    Bill Fisher

    Contributors

    Suzy Davidkhanian
    Principal Analyst, Retail & Ecommerce
    Angela Kim
    Senior Researcher
    Andrew Lipsman
    Principal Analyst, Retail & Ecommerce