So Katie Price is releasing a new single!  ‘Free to Love Again’ is her latest offensive on the great British public, and this time there’s no Peter to fill in the gaps.  Such as the singing bit.  Who does good looking ear muffs these days?   I found these Ugg beauties. But to be honest, with her singing, maybe what you need is some of these.

The latest celeb must have accessory is the Apple IPAD. Soon to be jailbird Lindsay Lohan even uses hers to keep the paps at bay!  I’m not really sure what problem they solve, and if I actually want one, but the iPad seems to be flying of the shelves like hot cakes, so my advice is to find something that you can sell them with – and quick!  How about an oversize Mulberry bag to stow it in?  But you need to be quick, as the luxury brand is enjoying soaring demand – despite making 500 bags a week, shops can’t stock enough.  And for the boys – Fat face have a great range of bags.

My wife just came back from a hen do, where she had the time of her life on a ‘dirty dancing’ session with her mates (I’m hoping it was based on the film!)  And the hot news is…. Leg warmers are back – and the brighter the better.  She still hasn’t taken hers off.  And for all the fellas that are looking after the kids while the wife’s dancing with budding Patrick Swayzes, what better way to wear them out, then  a long bike ride?  My friends at Evans Cycles said that keen cyclists are going mad for these.

Guilfest 2010 kicks off on Friday.  OK, so it’s not exactly Glasto, but it’s easier to get tickets, and the mighty Quo are headlining on Sunday… yummy mummies will be out en masse, channeling the gorgeous Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and the rest of the fashion pack.  Despite the great weather, Hunter wellies were out in force at Glastonbury, but let’s hope the heat wave holds, and sunnies and hats are the fashion must have this weekend.  Jigsaw have some fabulous sunglasses to choose from. This dress from White Stuff will make sure you stand out in the crowd and, for the boys, these shorts have plenty of pockets to stow away your festival goodies.

Multichannel is still one of the leading trends in retail (where have you been?)  It’s all about moving to a multi channel platform.  IMRG and Capgemini predict in their new research that UK online retail is set to more than double over the next ten years. Check the  IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. They predict that the UK e-commerce market will reach £123bn by 2020.  I find that customers want the convenience on a multi channel platform and like the experience, so don't mess around, get in quick. (source:Internet Retailing)

Obviously one of the big talking points amongst retailers has been the 2.5% rise in VAT to 20%, and the retail insiders have not been shy in sharing their views. We've scraped a couple of reactions from both side of the fence and put them here for you to look at.

It's going to be bad...

- In the British Retail Consortium coverage of the budget, and on the matter of the VAT rise BRC Director General Stephen Robertson said: "We didn't want a VAT increase. It'll hit jobs, consumer spending, the pace of recovery and add to inflation but we accept the Government has no easy options.

"It's some consolation that the range of VATable products isn't being extended.

"Changing computer systems and shelf prices on tens of thousands of products is a huge, costly exercise for retailers. Planning for catalogues is a particular nightmare.

- "The VAT hike could be enough to put weak grocery retailers under", Richard Fleming, UK head of restructuring at KPMG said in The Grocer.

It's not so bad really...

- The Guardian reported a roar in retail shares as budget VAT rise is delayed until January.

- Retail Week Editor, Tim Danaher said in his blog “We’ve been speaking to a lot of retailers about yesterday’s Budget, and particularly the increase in VAT, and no-one seems particularly worked up about it.

This represents a strengthening of K3’s relationship with IKEA as K3’s retail software operation based in Holland is already IKEA’s software partner of choice for 10 of its franchisees.

IKEA has decided that all its franchisees must adopt an IKEA standard IT platform and this decision means the likely extension of K3’s retail software solution into new territories over the next 36 months.

The latest podcast is from Gary Copping – K3's Business Development Manager. He talks about multi-channel retailing in the context of an economic downturn. The news is good – on line retailers now have more opportunity to get into stores. However, he warns that all retailers will have to get better at meeting customers' expectations for consistency of product, offer and service across all channels. Gary talks about the techniques and technologies that retailers can adopt to ensure joined up retailing.

Tony has a passion for the fast moving retail industry and has detailed knowledge of the key functions - Plan, Buy, Make, Move and Sell,  and he understands the interdependencies of information, products and services. Since joining K3 he has taken a pro-active role in helping the company deliver its multi channel vision to the retail sector. Tony’s deep understanding of the commercial issues facing retailers and developing IT solutions and business processes to improve product availability, drive profitable sales and reduce costs has been invaluable in establishing K3 as a leading provider of multi channel solutions.

Outside work Tony plays drums in a local band and tries hard to maintain a very old Caterham 7 (car). He has four daughters who also require a lot of maintenance and a permanent taxi service.

We asked Tony to put his future goggles on and give us his latest insights into the world of retail and multichannel.

What issues do you think retailers should be looking at now?

At the moment retailers should be trying to understand the retail opportunities surrounding the 2012 games. ‘2012, Opportunities for Retailers’, run by Retail Knowledge, will be good for those who make it. It’s a chance to look at the ‘Games Roadmap’ and come to grips with all the issues surrounding the games. The event will be covering a lot of areas, such as smoothing the supply chain, exploiting new technologies, queue management and promotional activity as well as looking at what technology you will need and how to take full advantage of that technology. I’m looking forward to presenting there as well, asking ‘Will 2012 Be the First Multichannel Games?”

The opportunities London 2012 present to UK Retail are huge. It’s important to realise that it’s not just at the games, it’s before during and after that need to be considered as well, and it is not all about London either, it will benefit retailers all over the UK.

Aside from London 2012, what else should retailers have on the horizon?

Well, the last four years have really been about transactional retail, so retailers need to capitalise on the investments they’ve made and build from there. I see two key areas that they’ll need to look at:  the technology side and the customer side.

In terms of technology I see things growing in areas such as RFID, mobile…and multichannel, including the technology that supports that. A lot of retailers may consider their operations as multichannel but in reality it is multiple channel. They offer products across a range of channels but there is not the real unity a truly joined-up operation offers. You really have to ask ‘How good are we at accessing data across all our channels?’ The strength of a joined-up multichannel operation cannot be understated. It gives you speed, cohesion, transparency and control – from web to store to mobile.

Mobile, as I mentioned, is an area retailers need to keep an eye on. What is the mobile going to do? We’re going from customers using the phone to browse and research, to carrying out transactions. So be aware of what is happening with mobile. There are a lot of mobile platforms, so if you are looking at applications, you need to think about which platforms (iPhone, Blacberry, Nexus) your clients use and how they use them.

The other key area that demands a lot of attention is the need to understand the customers’ eCommerce journey. To really use the technology that is out there, whether you already have it or are looking to invest, you need to take a close look at your customers shopping behaviours. The channels they use, where they browse, where they spend. Capturing the data so you can turn it around to give your customers the best experience is important.

There is this symbiosis between technology and customer – both leading each other at various stages, but overall developing together. For each retailer the technology used will be dictated by the different customers they have, or want to have. If you do not understand how your customers shop, how will you know which technology you need to invest in and how you should use it?

Does the growing strength of multichannel and the technology surrounding it mean there is nothing for the Bricks & Mortar retailer?

No, not at all. There will always be a need for customers to go into the store - that face-to-face contact is important. What we should see is in-store operations reflecting, supporting and capitalising on other channels. This goes back to understanding and catering to customer shopping behaviours. For example, online customers can get reviews of products from a range of impartial sites. In-store customers can ask their friends or the sales staff. What about if customers could also get reviews using kiosks or in-store displays? They’d need to be genuine reviews; the good and the bad - the integrity of the information is important.

In-store kiosks have been incredibly successful. They’re a fantastic way of upselling and a valuable tool for sales teams. If customers can check the availability of an item and locate that item, then that frees up staff to focus on other aspects of customer service. The days of ‘I’ll just check out the back” should go. If an item is not in-store then a customer can see other stores, perhaps nearby, that do stock the item, or they can order online from in-store. It’s an incredibly versatile tool.

I mentioned in-store displays. There are so many ways for retailers to use these. For a start there is in-store advertising and promotions. Imagine if this was all controlled centrally - Head Office determining a promotion and it being implemented in real time across all stores, along other channels and promoted to customers there and then. Customer love ‘surprise’ bargains, but don’t like hearing they could get the same item cheaper from the online store – that goes back to the importance of a fully joined-up operation.

Other ways this can be used…fashion retailers can show their clothes on the runway, so customers can see how the clothing looks on, how it moves etc. Home retailers could display price and feature comparisons between products… …again, the technology is there, business just need to be creative in how they use it.

Final words?

Dig down and really understand customer shopping behaviours, and then use technology to support that.

Here’s an example I like to refer to. There’s a train station in Germany, in which a lingerie retailer has put in a kiosk rather than open a store in the station. A customer can shop via the kiosk; is able to search and pay quickly. As part of the checkout they can enter their train ticket details, which acts as proof of ID and also gives the lingerie retailer the time by which they need to deliver. Nearby, at a store, the order is received and a courier delivers the ordered and paid for items over to the station. The customer takes delivery at the designated customer waiting point.

I like this example for two reasons. Firstly it demonstrates how technology supports the customer. You can shop conveniently and quickly, and it fits in with your travel plans; they don’t need to worry about missing their train. For the retailer the technology allows them to be located elsewhere, so the stock they carry is not restricted by space and they avoid high store lease costs.

The technology is getting better and better, and people are adopting it. For retailers there is this ever increasing need to get behind that and get the most out of the technology. Give people what they want, or be innovators, show customers a better way of shopping.

Contradicting the BRC's  response are reports saying that small grocers support this move,  as  do the Scottish Grocers Federation. The SCF Chief Exective John Drummond said "I hope this announcement will introduce a culture change within the major supermarkets and an acknowledgment that they must be open and transparent in their supplier dealings."

K3 customers Carpetright and Kiddicare win at Retail Systems Awards 2009:

Retail Bulletin

IT Backbones Retail News

IT Director

K3 wins GIVe contract

Catalogue e-Business (client wins)

K3 Selected by apetito:

IT Backbones Retail News

Hyde’s Hall systems for the Royal Horticultural Society to be supplied and implemented by K3:

IT Analysis

Q. What do you think has been the secret of Carpetright’s success in this recession?
A. Great product, service and prices supported by slick systems and supply chain processes. Sounds easy but is much harder to achieve in reality. We have also done a good job of keeping the cost base under control without any knee jerk reactions to the volatile economy.

Q. What’s the secret to good customer service?
A. Everything centres around the staff and their genuine desire to provide outstanding customer service. Management have to promote and nurture that attitude in every way possible to succeed.

Q. What is Carpetright’s attitude to IT?
A.We see it as an enabler, something we can use to really improve our business, gain competitive advantage and enhance the customer experience. We know the benefits are achievable through the right solutions.

Q. How do you convince your board to invest in IT?
A. The Board had the vision 5 years ago to sign off a major IT overhaul across the business. The fact that has been delivered successfully and the benefits are being realised on an ongoing basis helps but you still (quite rightly) need a rock solid business case. We don’t do technology for technology’s sake.

Q. How do you get the best out of your suppliers?
A. A lot of it is about relationships, we try to work in true partnership and view our suppliers as very much part of the team. I also prefer commercial relationships which enable all parties to benefit from successful projects or initiatives.

"Even through the recession many of the best known brands in the UK have achieved significant growth over the past year. Of the top 100 brands, many have moved up the chart, where others have fallen off and there are many new appearances and this report gives you analysis of their secret to success. There are also some well known brands that didn't make the list but have none the less demonstrated phenomenal growth."

Let's hope that Autumn/Winter sales keep going in this direction. Next stop - Christmas.