Keith Hopkins

More on retail sector dynamics: “Not only do Coles and Woolworths take it in turns having Coke and Pepsi on special, they also make sure that neither has both Coke and Pepsi on special at the same time. There’s nothing illegal about this, but it is rather a curious coincidence that neither breaks the pattern. The crucial thing is that it shows the two majors are not in competition with each other but ensure they always have either Coke or Pepsi on sale.” This is an Australian case but it would not be surprising if this pattern was evident elsewhere. #pricesetting #noncompetition #supplychainpower

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Revolutionizing retail with Azure's power! Coles revolutionized their operations with Azure, boosting speed and flexibility across their store network. With Azure Arc and Intelligent Edge, they’ve cut deployment time by 6-7x, creating a powerful platform for innovation. Watch how they’re shaping the future of retail! Discover how Azure can transform your business.

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I spoke to the NZ Herald this week about the issue of retail crime, because it's something I care passionately about. I started my career in retail, and it's taught me many skills that have enabled me to get where I am today. Retailers see the highs and lows of our communities and it teaches those that work there how to relate with the full spectrum of society. But our behaviour towards service industries has changed as of late and its not getting better.   Retail staff should enjoy going to work, and not be scared about the customers they may have to deal with. I've heard from many other businesses that they are facing similar issues, as retail crime escalates. Retail crime isn’t just armed hold ups and theft, it’s any time a customer is abusive towards another person whether that’s verbal or physical – so I want to raise it up as a conversation worth talking about.    Two things can be true at one time, One NZ might have done something that annoys you, but equally the person who you’re talking to is just trying to do a good job and serve you.    I spoke about this issue for three main reasons:   1. We often see customers get angry when we ask for ID. We want customers to understand that when we ask for ID, it’s because we need to check you are who you say you are, as identify fraud is a concerning source of crime.   2. Generally, we’re seeing more customer angst, which is likely due to challenging economic conditions. We want to remind New Zealanders that our strength is in our people, and please be considerate of each other.   3. Retail is a great career and it’s worth fighting for. We think retail offers amazing career opportunities and I want everyone working in these jobs to feel safe at work. Retail stores are also an incredibly important way for us to support our customers, as a complement to online channels.   We all have a role to play in ensuring Aotearoa is a great place to live and work, which is why I’ve spoken out about the experiences we’re facing at One New Zealand, and the additional proactive security measures we’re putting in place.   https://lnkd.in/gzC8jZa8

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Discover the latest trends in ANZ commerce with the BigCommerce 2024 Online Shopping Report! Gain valuable insights into consumer preferences, including: 🛍 Top products being purchased online  💳 Preferred payment methods  🚚 Key conveniences shoppers prioritise  ✖ Reasons behind cart abandonment Stay ahead in the e-commerce game by understanding the data driving today's online shopping behaviour. Download the report now!

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We describe the tough FY24 as a double-whammy for Australian retail spending. Firstly, consumers had to cut back to some extent given higher interest rates and living costs. Secondly, consumers recalibrated their spend back towards "normal". This meant more holidays and experiences and less spending on retail goods in FY24. The good news is the retail reset is largely done. The chart below shows that as at June 2024, retail spending was 31.3% of all consumer spending. It peaked at 35.9% in the June quarter of 2020 and in 2019 the share of spending averaged 31.0%. We expect the weakness in retail spending to ease back over the next 12 months as normal spending habits are largely in place. (Whatever normal really means!). However, one important lesson from COVID-19 is the evidence that discretionary spending is interchangeable for shoppers. If retail doesn't offer excitement and innovation, then those discretionary dollars could still drift further to holidays and other experiences. https://lnkd.in/g3Z3sEpt

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🎉 Big news! 🎉 Today marks my last day at Kmart Australia Limited, wrapping up a fulfilling 3.5-year journey. When I first walked through those doors, "automation" was just a buzzword. Now, I'm proud to leave behind a fantastic team and a robust Automation Platform, a well-oiled machine (not literally) pumping out innovations with hundreds of workloads in production. That's a lot of saved time, money, and sanity, thanks to our tech trio: Microsoft Power Platform, UiPath, and last but certainly not least, our shining star, the DRUID AI 🤖💬 Under the sage guidance of Craig Lanigan, we didn't just play tech darts; we made a bullseye with every throw. Our Druid Chatbot isn’t just chatting; it’s revolutionising customer experience so much that the team is already plotting the next sequel! As I hang up my automation hat, I’m nothing but grateful for the brains and heart of my amazing Automation Team, led by amazing Muthu, Sushma, Mayank, Ramya, Seshadri, Chirag, Langthian, Akshay, Danda and Raghu. Learning from them and sharing laughs and stories at my farewell was the cherry on top 🍒 With the big 4-0 on the horizon next week (no crisis, just cake! 🎂), I’m taking a beat to recharge before diving into the next chapter. Exciting things are coming! #Kmart #Automation #RPA #SuccessStory #Druid #ChatBot #AI #NLU #NLP #ConversationalAI #UiPath #PowerAutomate #CustomerInTheCenter #CustomerService

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I received an email yesterday from Inside Retail Australia letting me know I’ve been nominated for the Top 50 People in ecommerce. I hadn’t entered so thank you to whoever nominated me (not Tom which was my first thought). Very honoured. A few years ago I had a bit of a run in the Top 50. This pic is from 2019 where I was named #1 but I was in hospital having just had my first bub Woody so couldn’t make the event, but Heather McIlvaine sent me this fab picture with lots of familiar faces! I didn’t enter last year because I believe you should only enter if you’ve done something that’s worthy of the spot. Last year I was in the trenches in Snuggle Hunny building foundations for future SH. Whilst super important input is only as valuable as the output. This year we’re still firmly in said trenches but also reaping the rewards for this foundational work so I will take the nudge and complete the submission. Again thanks to whoever thought I was worthy of a spot. Now I have an ask. Part of the submission is to submit a 50 word recommendation from someone in the industry. I am sure I could find someone to write some lovely words but I’d rather submit something where I’ve genuinely left a lasting impression (hopefully a good one). If you would like to give me a recommendation please do message me or even put it in the comments - I’m a pretty open book. You might have worked with me, or even heard me speak and been inspired, or maybe you’ve been a supplier/ partner. I’m not looking for industry stalwarts here; this could be anyone. I believe if you’re going to be a leader you need to inspire, engage and communicate with everyone and everyone’s feedback is equally important. Thank you in advance for listening and helping. I love the industry I’m part of and love swinging for the fences and helping others chase their goals and dreams too. #ecommerce #retail

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This Friday on Keeping up with Kapish - What's driving your tech spend?💰 Read how Coles Group are gaining visibility into their IT landscapes, driving smarter decisions and maximising value 🤝 Want to learn more about how Kapish can support your digital transformation journey? Read more here 👇

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Can't wait - if you're attending (and on your phone now), jump onto your iMedia app and connect using my handshake code of 36228. If you're looking at this on your desktop now... STEP 1 get out your Phone (see image in comment for next steps)

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Download the BigCommerce 2024 ANZ Online Shopping Report. Get the latest data insights on preferred payments, delivery expectations, social media’s impact, and more trends impacting the state of ANZ commerce. In this report you’ll learn: - What consumers are buying online - Which payment methods shoppers are using - What conveniences shoppers find most important - Why consumers are abandoning their carts Available within link below. https://lnkd.in/dY7GA-pm

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Download the BigCommerce 2024 ANZ Online Shopping Report. Get the latest data insights on preferred payments, delivery expectations, social media’s impact, and more trends impacting the state of ANZ commerce. In this report you’ll learn: - What consumers are buying online - Which payment methods shoppers are using - What conveniences shoppers find most important - Why consumers are abandoning their carts https://lnkd.in/dY7GA-pm

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When I saw a call out for best travel hacks as a business owner I was very called to add my tip in! Thanks Eloise Keating for adding my tip into the article! Will be reading this to see how I can level up my travel experience. Those who know me well, I travel every single month so the more I know the better! If you want to give this a read, check the comments of this post!

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Some very sound advice in here, it is so important to share thoughts on the market

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Supermarkets no longer just sell food & groceries, they sell 'solutions' like phone plans, #insurance, finance, energy and data. With millions of customers each week, ALDI's move into the insurance industry is a 'no brainer' that creates value and competition. #ALDIInsurance #insurance #retail #supermarket #grocery ##costofliving https://lnkd.in/eS_jZzDH

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Assurance that personal data is being used responsibly & securely by a brand is THE top priority for consumers, according to a recent Econsultancy report… Tealium has recently been working on a project with Kmart Australia & Deloitte Digital to unify customers’ consent status across all touchpoints leveraging Customer Data Platform technology… The solution incorporated more than 90 business / technical rules + 33 user flows, utilising both unauthenticated cookie consent data & authenticated consent data in a trusted value exchange. The secret sauce in this system was the adoption of a proprietary four-state logic system to resolve consent, whereby an express ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from the customer would overwrite inferred or soft values. This gives Kmart customers full control & transparency over the way their data is being used to deliver their experience, with their preferences instantly being executed upon via the CDP. Ultimately, this project realised a 200% increase in Kmart’s consenting customer base 📈 Rather than seeing privacy & consent as a barrier to delivering a great customer experience, there is a very real business case for putting consumers’ consent & preferences at the heart of your CX ❤️ #gdpr #privacy #data #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #customerexperience

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Some great insights from our Co-CEO Ben on the latest developments at Dominos as they bring in new CEO Kerri Hayman to improve the business. "InvestorHub co-chief Ben Williamson said the change of leadership was a “new opportunity for Domino’s to engage a fundamentally different market” to when Meij took over in 2002, pointing to the excitement generated by burrito maker Guzman y Gomez’ blockbuster ASX debut." “How is [Guzman y Gomez] valued almost the same as a company pulling profits almost 20 times larger? Quite simply: it has a better story in the market that is, crucially, driving a lot of investment from retail investors and advocacy from VCs,”. Read the full article from Jessica Yun (The Age) here: https://lnkd.in/gWC_S_66 #investorrelations #shareholderengagement

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