Category: Research insights

How retail giants could thrive on the post-pandemic high street

Post author By Ms Tamsin McLaren
Post date 17 March 2021

Even before COVID-19, the British high street was undergoing a slow and painful decline. So has COVID-19 changed everything? Or did the pandemic just rapidly accelerate changes that were already being planned?

In this recent article in The Conversation, Bath Retailing and Contemporary Consumerism Lab member Tamsin McLaren discusses trends such as small scale and “inventory-less” stores, direct-to-consumer brands, and the the need for agility among traditional department stores to successfully meet the needs of the shopper of today and in the future. Online shopping is not the only option, but to survive post-pandemic, businesses must consider which elements of “retail theatre” they wish to provide to remain relevant.

Click here to read the article

“The Future Of Retail” – webinar with Prof Jens Nordfält

Post author By Prof Jens Nordfält
Post date 14 January 2021

Prof Jens Nordfält, co-director of the Bath RCC research lab will join the Univeristy of Bath, School of Management’s Deans series. The host Dr Margaret Heffernan will be joined by Professor Jens Nordfalt to discuss how retailers have responded to the challenges of online shopping; the potential for emerging in-store technologies; and the breakthrough learnings about customer behaviour. Together, they will explore where the future of retail might lie.

Fri 29 Jan, 16:00 – 17:00 GMT

Register now and join the conversation

Activities Research insights Research Seminars

Research seminar #2 with Iina Ikonen

Post author By Dr Iina Ikonen
Post date 5 January 2021

On 13 January 2021, Iina Ikonen held a research seminar on the topic “She Looks Like Me! How Body Type Similarity Influences Online Clothes Shopping“ The presentation slides are available below. For more information, please contact Iina directly at imhi21@bath.ac.uk.

Retail-lab-seminar-13012021-Body-similarity

To participate in future events, members of the University of Bath community may sign up by joining the open research seminar group on Teams.

Media Research insights

Using your phone while shopping may be an expensive call

Post author By Prof Jens Nordfält and Dr Carl-Philip Ahlbom
Post date 9 December 2020

Professor Jens Nordfält and Dr Carl-Philip Ahlbom, members of the RCC research lab at the University of Bath, School of Management tell us more in this short video from the Chartered Association of Business Schools. Read the original press release here.

For more information regarding this project, or other projects, please contact Jens Nordfält (j.g.nordfalt@bath.ac.uk) or Carl-Philip Ahlbom (c.p.n.ahlbom@bath.ac.uk)!

Activities Research insights Research Seminars

Research seminar #1 with Dr Lorna Stevens

Post author By Dr Lorna Stevens
Post date 9 December 2020

On 9 December 2020, Dr Lorna Stevens held a research seminar on the topic “White Glamour in the Marketplace: Exploring The White Company’s Retail Brandscape.” The presentation slides are available below. For more information, please contact Lorna directly at l.m.r.stevens@bath.ac.uk.

TWC-Retail-Brandscape-Presentation

To participate in future events, members of the University of Bath community may sign up by joining the open research seminar group on Teams.

Ongoing research projects

Physical stores in a digital age

Post author By Prof Jens Nordfält
Post date 27 November 2020

For a number of years, various combinations of researchers from the lab have been collaborating with retailers about “the future of retailing”. We have (so far) focused on the physical store in a digital age and more specifically we have looked at “digital tools enhancing shopper in-store decision-making”. In this vein of research we have looked at effects of shoppers using smartphones, hand-held scanners, interactive screens, digital signage and more. In parallel we have also looked at “the role/purpose of the physical store in an omni-channel world”. Here we are more interested in looking at the store layout, the range selection, the services provided in the store etcetera. We are currently collaborating with multiple international researchers and retailers, running field studies, in these projects. At the same time we constantly want new partners. Hence, if you are a retailer who is interested in collaborating with us in the quest to understand the future role for the physical store (or high street for that matter), please feel free to contact us so that we can discuss it further.

For a contact send an email to: j.g.nordfalt@bath.ac.uk.

Research insights: Retail during the pandemic

Post author By Dr Iina Ikonen
Post date 27 November 2020

Research lab member Iina Ikonen has put together a summary of research conducted at the RCC lab with shopping and retailing implications related to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic. Download your one-pager today!

COVID-retail-insights_Nov2020 Download

Research insights

Handheld self-scanning increases shopper spend

Post author By Prof Jens Nordfält
Post date 12 November 2020

Billed as Covid-safe shopping to avoid the checkout, scanning your own groceries is adding an average 12 per cent to your supermarket spend, according to research from the University of Bath School of Management. Professor Jens Nordfält tells us more.