Brick and mortar is so last century. And online is so last decade! 

The next big trend is Retail as a Service (RaaS). It offers solutions for cost-conscious retailers to provide a great brick and mortar service, but without splurging out the cash. It’s being driven by a new consumer trend - “showrooming” - where consumers spend time browsing, touching and feeling physical products in a traditional store, before making the purchase online or via an app. 

But why is this a game changer for retailers? Put simply, RaaS is a great way to merge online channels with a physical high-street environment. Sales associates are trained to familiarise themselves with each product, and then educate consumers on how that product might benefit their daily lives. And it goes beyond the shop floor too - think advanced checkouts, live product recommendations, and cutting edge inventory management!

On this episode of On Retail, Senior Business Consultant Jake Knowles, and BJSS Head of Retail, David Gore explore the types of markets that exist for RaaS applications. 

On Retail is the retail podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. Visit us at bjss.com to learn more.

We often display a sense of resilience when change occurs in our personal day-to-day lives. But then we tend to struggle when we're faced with change at work.

What contributes to how we handle change? And what can we learn about how consumers adapt to change?

ChangeMakers is the change podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. It is hosted by BJSS People & Change consultants Tom Silver and Becca Duncan. Visit us at bjss.com/business to learn more.

It's Christmas! And retailers up and down the nation are being lambasted for their seasonal sins.

Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, M&S and Amazon - no one's immune from the public's festive scorn. In this special Christmas episode of On Retail hosted by Jake Knowles, we take a look at last Christmas's funniest Twitter rants.

From those predictable complaints about rancid turkey, to disappointment over questionable pizza choices, and cars getting egged in the car park, Giorgia Gallarati, David Gore and Lizzie Willett share their reactions to these real life #MeanTweets.

On Retail is the retail podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. Visit us at bjss.com/business to learn more.

IPA takes a human process and makes it full (or semi) automated. But what are the pitfalls and opportunities that companies face when deploying IPA technologies into their organisations? The aim is to assess and challenge the real need of an RPA licence, or asking if better results can be delivered in a shorter space of time and at a lower cost using several tools.

This first episode of Value in AI is hosted by Katie Gibbs and guest Carl Austin. Value in AI is the AI podcast of BJSS. Visit us at bjss.com/ipa to learn more about IPA.

Things are getting hot! From weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that cause catastrophic flooding, the impact of climate change is now socially and politically toxic. And the spotlight is well and truly on the energy companies. 

So in response they're:  

• Developing greener energy,
• Producing energy in a more effective way,
• Promoting products which produce a smaller carbon footprint.

But do renewable or low carbon products really meet consumer and industry needs? Is society really ready to accept a trade off for using greener alternatives? And are they secretly happy to cast a blind (but vocally judgemental) eye to the continued use of carbon sources instead?

In this inaugural episode of On Energy, hosted by BJSS business consultants Bruce Wen, Anna Cheong and Joyce Tang, we look at real life examples of the Energy Sector's response to climate change.

On Energy is the energy podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. Visit us at bjss.com/business to learn more.

Veganism has gone mainstream. And organisations are doubling down their efforts to attract vegan consumers.

How is it some companies have quickly adapted to these changing consumer needs and desires, while others have struggled to keep up with what people really want? With examples from Burger King to Greggs, and TFL to Uber, this inaugural episode of ChangeMakers looks at how companies are able to rapidly pivot whenever the direction of desire switches. 

ChangeMakers is the change podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. It is hosted by BJSS People & Change consultants Tom Silver and Becca Duncan. Visit us at bjss.com/business to learn more.

This year will be remembered for the death of some of Britain's most iconic retail brands.

But some have survived administration.

With Karen Millen and Coast rescued by the plucky boohoo, Sports Direct snapping up a mismatched Jack Wills, and rumours of mega-mergers in the grocery space, is the high street set for revitalised success? Or have they bought cash-haemorrhaging pigs in a poke?

This episode of On Retail is hosted by Giorgia Gallarati and features analysis from BJSS business consultants Lizzie Willett and Jake Knowles. On Retail is the retail podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. Visit us at bjss.com/business to learn more.

Sustainability and AI – two of the hottest topics to emerge in 2019's retail sector. And with 77% of major retailers looking to deploy AI technologies within the next three years, we ask the question: can they happily coexist? Or will there be a trade-off between advanced technology and sustainability?

On this episode of On Retail, Joe Hurman, who joined BJSS on a summer internship, is joined by BJSS business consultants Giorgia Gallarati and Hannah Tharp. They explore the intersection between these two topics and they also discuss Joe's article AI in Retail: A pathway to a sustainable future or an expensive gimmick?

On Retail is the retail podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. Visit us at bjss.com/business to learn more.

Within the next three years, and with fantastic new use cases including recommendations, sizing and intelligent automation, the retail industry is expected to spend over US$7.3 billion on AI. These technologies will improve customer experience, forecasting, environmental impact and back-office functions. 

Put simply: the retail sector is all set for AI.

But some including Ocado, Walmart, Nike, Asos and Macy’s have already started the journey.  This episode of On Retail – which is presented by Jake Knowles, Mel Wade and BJSS Head of AI, Katie Gibbs - looks at the ways that these retail pioneers are using and advancing AI. 

On Retail is the retail podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. Visit us at bjss.com/business to learn more.

Unicorns - not the mythical creatures, but imaginative retail startups that have achieved valuations of over $1billion.

In this episode of On Retail, BJSS Retail Consultants Giorgia Gallarati, Mel Wade and Jake Knowles look at some of the world's most exciting Unicorns and discuss the key ingredients that define these highly profitable organisations.              

On Retail is the retail podcast of BJSS Business Consulting. Visit us at bjss.com/business to learn more.