“As the cross channel shopper emerges as a higher spending customer, every retailer must ensure it doesn’t compete against itself by making stores and the website equally relevant and compelling and by driving customer traffic in both directions.

Although certain inflationary pressures are about to annualise (input prices towards the end of this year and VAT at the start of 2012) and that will ease pressure on retailers’ margins, a gloomier outlook for young people could mean a gloomier outlook for the clothing market unless better added value opportunities and promotions are explored”.

“As the cross channel shopper emerges as a higher spending customer, every retailer must ensure it doesn’t compete against itself by making stores and the website equally relevant and compelling and by driving customer traffic in both directions.

Although certain inflationary pressures are about to annualise (input prices towards the end of this year and VAT at the start of 2012) and that will ease pressure on retailers’ margins, a gloomier outlook for young people could mean a gloomier outlook for the clothing market unless better added value opportunities and promotions are explored”.

– Hilary Monk, Senior Retail Analyst

Some questions answered in the report include:

Are retailers maximising the potential of the stores channel?

Are younger people spending less?

Where are the value added opportunities?

Which consumers want more choice?