Retail in Focus - the Retail Systems podcast

Retail has undergone a fundamental shift. The transaction - once the centrepiece of the customer experience - is now just one moment within a much longer, richer journey. Today's most competitive retailers understand that what happens before, during, and after the till is equally important, and that the thread connecting all of it is data. This Retail Systems podcast brings together Flooid, Cust2Mate, and TransactionTree to explore how the modern customer journey has evolved, and why the retailers winning in today's market are those who have learned to turn everyday transactional data into meaningful, personalised experiences. From the point of sale through to digital receipts, loyalty engagement, and post-purchase communication, the conversation will trace the full arc of the customer relationship - and examine the technology making it possible. At the heart of the discussion is a simple but powerful idea: that every interaction a customer has with a retailer generates information, and that information, used well, can transform a one-time buyer into a loyal advocate. The panel will explore how data collected at the POS can feed smarter loyalty programmes, drive more relevant in-store experiences, strengthen emotional brand connection, and - critically - prevent lost sales through proactive, personalised engagement at exactly the right moment. The episode will also examine the growing role of in-store digital media as both a revenue opportunity and a customer touchpoint - and the tension that comes with it. When retailers can serve targeted brand promotions to shoppers at the moment they are actively making purchasing decisions, the potential is clear. But in a journey already rich with data-driven communications, there is a real risk of over-commercialising the experience and eroding the very trust that personalisation is supposed to build. The panel will explore where that line sits, and how retailers can deploy in-store media to add value rather than add noise.

In today's ecommerce environment, traditional KPIs including price remain critical, but they are no longer sufficient to secure competitive advantage. Retailers are learning that the new battleground extends beyond cost leadership to include control over digital shelf space, product visibility, and relevance in the consumer journey. This challenge is amplified by the fragmentation of the consumer journey. Shoppers now move seamlessly across Google, Amazon, TikTok, voice assistants and a growing array of digital platforms. In such a landscape, a retailer's "digital footprint" - the breadth and strength of its presence across platforms and regions - has become a defining measure of competitiveness. In this Retail Systems podcast sponsored by Intelligence Node, Sanjeev Sularia, the company's Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, explores why visibility now rivals value, and how leading brands are adapting to compete in an era defined by speed, data and consumer choice. We also explore how agentic AI and real-time systems are enabling a new pace in the retail sector, where it is possible to analyse 400 million SKUs in a matter of minutes and make immediate decisions on pricing, content or stock.

Ransomware remains an urgent and evolving threat for the UK retail sector in 2025, with attackers employing increasingly advanced tactics to breach defences and disrupt operations. Retailers, as guardians of significant volumes of sensitive customer and payment data, are under constant pressure from cybercriminals who now exploit weaknesses not only in individual businesses but across intricate supply chains, threatening the integrity of the entire retail ecosystem. The rise of AI-driven attacks and sophisticated social engineering techniques has further heightened the risk, enabling threat actors to circumvent traditional security controls with unprecedented agility. Compounding these challenges is the shifting regulatory landscape. The UK government's proposed measures - including a ban on ransomware payments and the introduction of mandatory incident reporting - are set to reshape how retailers must prepare for and respond to attacks. These changes present both opportunities and obstacles, requiring retail leaders to adapt their crisis communications, legal processes, and post-incident strategies. In this Retail Systems podcast, Megan Keeling, Senior Strategic Threat Intelligence Analyst at Recorded Future's Inskit Group, will dissect the latest trends in ransomware targeting UK retail. The conversation will move beyond headline-grabbing incidents to explore the real drivers behind attacks, the most valuable data at risk, and practical ways to strengthen supply chain resilience. Listeners will gain actionable insights into harnessing intelligence-led approaches, leveraging AI for defence, and building lasting resilience in the face of a rapidly changing threat landscape.

The retail landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years, with retailers having to work even harder to attract and retain customers, who are curbing their spending in response to the cost-of-living crisis and economic uncertainty. To stand out from the competition and win customers, many retailers are looking to AI and machine learning to automate their processes or turning to analytics software to make sense of consumer metrics. But the data required for these systems can be difficult to collect and manage, with many organisations yet to work out how to effectively use and process this data to measure their success. To delve further into these issues, Retail Systems was joined by Emma Clarke, Senior Director of Product Management at Metapack and Chris Kellner, CRO at Digital Genius.

While many savvy shoppers had already adopted contactless payment methods over the past decade, the Covid-19 pandemic created a need for a radical rethink of payments in retail. Many customers were forced to change their payment habits when they were required to abandon cash and pay via contactless or services such as PayPal when shopping online. A large portion of shoppers have since embraced these payment methods, yet some are still frustrated by the speed at which payments take to process or have lingering security concerns when presented with a point-of-sale device. And with this digital-first approach to payments come the inevitable associated risks. While many devices can be updated remotely at the touch of a button, enabling an unprecedented ability to combat security risks and adopt new features, high-profile IT outages - such as those recently experienced by the likes of McDonald's, Tesco and Sainsbury's – have raised concerns about the reliability of payment systems and what to do should they fail. To examine these issues, Retail Systems was joined by Kevin Marlow, Senior Product Manager for Point of Sale Interactions at Cashflows.

In a landscape of ever-increasing competition, retailers must have omnichannel strategies and platforms which are agile, adaptable, and customisable - for the benefit of retailers and consumers alike. To stay ahead of the competition, a strong omnichannel strategy is nowadays one which can adjust quickly to consumer demand and meet changing demands in the online retail landscape. Technologies such as AI and machine learning are playing an ever more important role, helping retailers to stay ahead of the curb by analysing customer behaviour data to pre-empt their evolving demands. To discuss these topics in more detail, Retail Systems was joined by Peter Fellows, EMIR commerce lead at Sitecore.

Inflation is rising, with the war in Ukraine pushing up the cost of oil, food and gas. To make ends meet, manufacturers and other suppliers are passing on their increased overheads to retailers. At the same time, consumers are changing their behaviour to cope with the cost of inflation, while employees demand higher wages or even leave the retail sector altogether to follow other career paths. This leaves retailers finding themselves held to ransom by both consumers and suppliers. To examine these issues, Retail Systems was joined by Lauren Brenig-Jones, VP Product Strategy & Marketing at supply chain and retail planning platform Relex. The podcast covered how the retail sector can leverage digital solutions, which can help them predict consumer behaviour, manage spikes in demand, as well as manage labour shortages and stay resilient in an increasingly uncertain world.

In exploring the topic of 5G in Retail, the technology has the potential to address communications, security, promotion, and delivery services, while driving the evolution of other technologies which also make use of connectivity. As the technology begins to roll out across the UK, 5G is touted as a connectivity evolution which will help realise greater efficiencies and streamline experiences for users. In this podcast we are joined by Roger Jones, Solution Architect, EMEA at Cradlepoint, to delve further into these challenges, as well as some possible solutions. LISTEN NOW

Uncertainty has been the only certainty for retailers since the pandemic hit in 2020. Brands have had to adapt quickly to the unprecedented growth of digital sales, with the Covid-19 crisis driving a momentous shift to online. At the beginning of the pandemic, Black Friday and the Christmas season saw e-commerce platforms reap the benefits of brick-and-mortar store closures. But with physical stores reopening and customer habits normalising, sales during the peak trading period dropped dramatically last year. In 2022, retailers are continuing to grapple with uncertainty, as the industry faces a cost-of-living crisis and supply chain disruption persists. To ensure they maximise sales and perform effectively during the holiday shopping period, retail companies must retain flexibility, meet customer expectations, diversify channels, and adapt to the growth of the conscious consumer. To explore some of these challenges and opportunities, we're joined by Paul Clarke, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Cashflows. Listen Now!

The e-commerce industry is booming post-pandemic, with more small business owners than ever making the move online and launching shops. These outlets are expected to meet consumer's changing expectations when it comes to credit, allowing Generation Z and Millennial consumers to spread out the cost of their purchases. However, companies need to make certain that they can provide this level of flexible credit without causing financial harm to consumers, while ensuring they won't fall foul of incoming legislation or harm their reputations. At same time, retailers need to avoid opening the door to increasingly innovative fraudsters, who are everyday devising new ways to extract hard earned cash from consumers as payment methods evolve. In this podcast we are joined by DivideBuy to delve further into these challenges, as well as some possible solutions. Listen Now!