About Retail in Focus - the Retail Systems podcast
This podcast brings the best of the Retail Systems website - a leading source of retail industry and technology news and analysis - to your ears, featuring panel discussions and one-on-one interviews with the most important experts and topics in this rapidly-changing industry.
From transaction to relationship: How data is redefining the modern customer journey
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.
3 Nov 2025
Digital footprints: The new battleground for retail growth
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.
7 Oct 2025
Breaking the chain: How UK retailers can outsmart ransomware attacks
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.
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