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Building on the success of footfall insights we broaden the conversation with the Basket & Barometer podcast. Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat

In this episode we cover why average transaction value now matters more than footfall, and how Black Friday has shifted the peak. We share sector signals, consumer confidence trends, and what the budget and labour market mean for Q4

• Footfall softness versus inflation-adjusted sales decline
• Average transaction value as core survival metric
• Examples of ATV growth in small towns
• Discounting patterns and price guarantees in Black Friday
• Staffing planning shifting towards November peak
• Sector signals in health and beauty and fashion
• Consumer confidence at minus 19 and job market risk
• Online share stabilising and omnichannel basics that matter

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Productivity Pulse Episode 1

 Hear directly from our experts—Sue, Simon, & James—who share real-world trends, new data findings, and actionable productivity insights 

We dig into why efficiency swings across sites, how that volatility hurts peak service, and what workload models can do to stabilise performance. We also show how role drift reduces leadership time and how structured interviews add a 360 view that turns data into action.

• Variable efficiency index and why it matters
• Removing slack and the risks at peak
• Tactical fixes for rotas, breaks and coverage
• Building a robust workload model linked to WFM
• Reallocating budget to balance the estate
• Role studies revealing leadership time drift
• Restating manager expectations and blockers
• Structured interviews adding qualitative insight
• Turning insights into consistent employee and customer experience

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🚨 Podcast Reboot Alert! The ReThink Productivity Podcast is Back—and Smarter Than Ever! 🚀

We're thrilled to announce the official reboot of the ReThink Productivity Podcast with a brand-new format and a commitment to delivering high-impact, actionable insights twice a month

Our new focus is simple: Less Noise, More Intelligence

We’ll now be releasing two essential episodes per month—a mix of deep-dive interviews and actionable, data-driven insights—perfect for busy leaders who need to stay ahead of the curve

The Relaunch Lineup (Your First Two Episodes):

🎙️ Episode 1. The Productivity Pulse (Early Month)

• Data-Driven Action: Hear directly from our experts—Sue, Simon, & James—who share real-world trends, new data findings, and actionable productivity insights emerging from live projects
• Learn from Real-World Wins: Get tactical advice and success stories from organisations that have achieved transformative productivity across the board

💡Episode 2. Basket & Barometer (Late Month)

• Elevated Insights: In conversation with industry expert Diane Wehrle to move beyond surface-level metrics and tackle complex, data-driven metrics around customer shopping behaviour

For leaders in Operations, Strategy, and HR, this podcast provides the modern tools to build a smarter, more efficient, and ultimately more profitable business

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We weigh the real trade‑offs of building AI in‑house versus buying and configuring proven tools, and map a practical route from pilot to production without blowing the budget. Clear steps on data, governance, ethics, and IP help you create value you can measure.

• Build vs buy decisions tied to strategy and IP 
• When generic problems justify off‑the‑shelf tools 
• Niche bottlenecks and owning differentiated capability 
• Real costs of talent, data architecture and compute 
• Governance, scope control and reliability expectations 
• Data quality, sourcing and security by design 
• Measurable pilots, baselines and explainability 
• EBITDA impact, inference costs and ROI discipline 
• Ethics beyond bias, oversight and customer impact 
• Partner contracts, IP protection and reuse limits 
• Scaling blockers across finance, compliance, HR and IT 
• Regulations to watch including EU AI Act and GDPR

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Notebook LM has had some significant updates over the last few weeks

Have a listen to the latest iteration of a Notebook LM created podcast based on ReThink marketing materials

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We dig into practical AI that saves time: personal LLMs, embedded features already in your tools, and AI‑native agents that take action, not just give answers. We share proof points, pitfalls, and simple ways teams can adopt safely and quickly.

• Personal LLMs as thinking partners and draft accelerators
• Embedded AI in email, slides, CRM, and meetings
• AI‑native tools mapped to roles like SDR and legal
• Agents that act: scrape, configure, reset, and schedule
• Quality, speed, and evidence versus laziness concerns
• Training, culture, and best‑case sharing for adoption
• Guardrails, verification, and human‑in‑the‑loop control
• Real‑world cases in support, retail, facilities, and QSR

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We strip away the jargon and show how to use AI as an assist that lifts productivity, trust, and measurable outcomes. From data readiness to culture, governance to first use cases, we focus on steps that turn hype into results.

• Clear definition of AI and human‑in‑the‑loop
• Where AI adds value across knowledge work
• Culture over tech as the main blocker
• Data readiness and training data basics
• Governance to reduce shadow AI risks
• Leaders modelling tools and setting objectives
• Selecting first three use cases aligned to KPIs
• Measuring adherence to AI recommendations
• Balancing efficiency vs productivity for trust and ROI
• Practical rollout: owners, feedback loops, training

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Theo Gott and Mark Stacey from ModusForce discuss the evolving landscape of workforce management and how their Dayforce implementation expertise helps organisations maximise efficiency and employee satisfaction.

• The WFM market is experiencing 20% growth globally with key trends including AI automation, flexible working arrangements, and legislative changes
• Advanced scheduling combines WFM capabilities with automated scheduling and budgeting to deliver significant operational efficiencies
• The "perfect schedule" is a myth – successful implementations aim for 80-90% automation while preserving the crucial human element
• Modus Force offers a Minimum Viable Product approach that delivers advanced WFM capabilities in under five days, providing immediate benefits
• Unified HCM solutions like Dayforce eliminate the need for complex integrations between separate HR, scheduling and payroll systems
• Successful WFM implementations require managing change impact effectively, developing a clear roadmap, and prioritising data management

Reach Theo at [email protected] and Mark at [email protected]

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Diane Wehrle CEO at Rendle Intelligence and Insights joins Simon for their monthly chat about footfall trends.August retail sales dipped 4.8% year-on-year despite stable footfall, with fashion and general retail taking significant hits. Consumers are demonstrating caution by making fewer transactions while spending slightly more per purchase, reflecting broader economic uncertainty and diminished confidence

• Consumer confidence remains low at -19 according to GFK's Consumer Confidence Index
• The savings ratio has reached its highest level since COVID, indicating people are saving rather than spending
• Mortgage approvals have dropped 2.4% compared to last August's 15.5% rise
• Upcoming November budget, rising unemployment, and global conflicts all contribute to consumer caution
• Q4 forecast predicts October sales down 3%, November down 1%, but December up 1.5%
• Food and drink remains strong at 25% of town centre sales
• Health and beauty continues to perform well, showing opportunity for retailers

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Tom Coe, VP of Growth at Retail Insight, shares how data-driven solutions can tackle the perennial challenges of retail operations while empowering store colleagues to deliver better customer service

• Retail Insight provides in-store operations analytics software for over 50,000 stores globally
• The complexity of modern retail operations creates compliance challenges as colleagues juggle multiple responsibilities
• Process execution suffers when labour models are tight and colleagues are overwhelmed with competing priorities
• Date checking for fresh products exemplifies a mundane but critical process where poor execution leads to waste and financial loss
• Smart systems can track inventory expiration dates and direct colleagues to check only specific items requiring attention
• Data collected provides valuable analytics for head office teams to improve forecasting, ranging, and supply chain decisions
• Successful AI implementation in retail requires balancing technological sophistication with practical simplicity
• Data quality is essential for any effective retail technology solution
• Future applications include democratizing analytics through conversational AI and enhancing root cause analysis

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