Scalene

Pickleball—haven’t heard of it? Haven’t played it? Well, odds are you soon will. It's seen phenomenal growth in the US, as this article shows, and also around the world. The UK has seen player numbers double since 2022, according to the governing body Pickleball England. Australia, known for its love of sport, is no different. This presents opportunities and challenges for retailers looking to meet the demands of all these new players seeking kit and equipment. With store space already dedicated to proven categories and assortments, what gets removed to make way for a new sport that is not yet a proven performer? Sophisticated data science can inform this decision based on profit, margins, and sales volumes, avoiding decisions based on irrelevant historical learnings and gut feeling, thereby reducing risk. The Pickleball example is playing out in retail categories - all the time - and retail leaders looking to keep pace can benefit by creating space for new categories while minimising sales risks on their current core business. Remember when these categories hit the market? - Nicotine replacement patches - Battery powered tools, replacing corded and petrol powered - Wearable fitness trackers - Gaming accessories – mice, screens, keyboards, chairs... What would you add to this list? Respond in a comment! https://lnkd.in/gayw6jsx If you'd like to know how we help retailers with this challenge, or how we can help you, please get in touch! Mick Moore Aaron Fidler John Fimbel Mike Percic, MBA REG JIGINS Trish Ferguson Category Management Association https://lnkd.in/gYD_A-HH

With new data revealing 9 in 10 Australians prefer to shop in store, and click and collect continuing to grow, it’s never been more important for retailers to deliver on customer expectations in their physical spaces. However, since no two stores are the same, meeting the needs of different local markets and customer missions to deliver optimal store performance can be a challenge.  Meeting the needs of customers in each location is crucial and comes down to tailoring space allocations and ranges for every category, based on data driven insights, for each individual store. Doing this well can generate strong sales and margin growth (we’ve observed 3-8% annual growth) that drops to bottom line profit. Get in touch, or learn more at www.scalenesolutions.com  https://lnkd.in/gr2pPVCe Mick Moore Pushkar Kumar Aaron Fidler Krishna Padmanabhan Peter Ristevski Trish Ferguson REG JIGINS 

Hard to believe it's over! But not before Mick took the stage to discuss new ways to tackle the significant and growing issue of shrink in retail. It really is a huge problem that's impacting retailers and consumers. Thank you to Blue Yonder and to the incredible audience who joined the session, your questions were very insightful! If you'd like to continue the discussion, please do get in touch. Mick Moore Mike Percic, MBA Richard Kyle Aaron Fidler REG JIGINS Trish Ferguson

We’re heading to BY ICON next week! Are you? Thank you to Blue Yonder for inviting us to be a part of this global event once again. We look forward to contributing to the incredible 4-day agenda. It’s going to be a jam packed few days, so if you’re heading along, please get in touch to arrange a catch up. Mick Moore Richard Kyle Mike Percic, MBA Aaron Fidler #retail #retailinnovation #categorymanagement 

Last month we shared a summary of topics covered during the #ARALeadersForum in Sydney. Recently, Peter Ristevski attended the #RetailLeadersForum in Melbourne and noted some consistent themes emerged across both events. Here are a few thoughts from Peter on the burning issues facing retailers and how those at the forefront are responding. The economic tide is not changing, yet: Cost of living and market growth challenges continue, with leading retailers prioritising active category management and store productivity, in both online and physical stores. Meeting customer needs as they shift in response to financial pressures is essential for sustaining sales and margins in an increasingly competitive environment. The vital role of physical spaces: For years, doubt has hung over the future of physical stores, but they remain pivotal in propelling sales and offering unique experiences that drive loyalty. Innovations like Rebel Sport new format has been described as "match fit,” while Bunnings’ push to add and expand new categories like pet care and cleaning show the benefit of evolving to meet customer needs. We predict leading retailers will continue demonstrating how reimagining store environments and offers rejuvenates community engagement and retail networks. AI as a strategic enabler: AI's potential to elevate customer experiences and streamline operations resonated with many, but AI fatigue is emerging as a consideration among senior leaders. What has become clear is that AI must be part of a broader strategy, not a standalone solution, to bring about meaningful, positive impact. Emphasis on experimentation: Leading retailers encourage a test-and-learn culture, with clear objectives to drive improvement in customer satisfaction, sales, and margin performance. This mindset fosters agility and responsiveness in adapting to dynamic, unpredictable market changes. Immersing in days of retail thought leadership was enlightening and motivating. It reinforced our unwavering commitment to maximising retail store potential through the strategic use of space and the importance of local market understanding. If you’d like to know more, please get in touch, we’re here to help. Mick Moore Aaron Fidler REG JIGINS Pushkar Kumar Trish Ferguson Nerida Power #RetailInnovation #Retail

Last week, Scalene team members attended the #ARALeadersForum to learn about key trends and opportunities in retail and technology. Here, Mick Moore and Aaron Fidler share thoughts on key themes, which included timeless messages for retailers. We hope you enjoy this summary. These Are Not Easy Times Nicole Sheffield and Allegra Spender highlighted the evolving landscape. Nicole emphasised retail remains a driver for the Australian economy with around 1.5m people employed, thus collaboration between government and business is crucial. Claire Naughtin discussed several mega trends, including the impact of remote work on consumer behaviour - where people shop, what they buy – a great argument for localised store range and space optimisation to stay relevant to local customer needs. Michele Levine shared insights on consumer sentiment trends while Craig Woolford stressed the importance of driving strong sales from store space and actively managing category sales mix to support margin expansion. Customer Obsession and Trust Stephen Younane discussed Retail Prodigy Group's dedication to CX in Nike and Samsung stores. Jack Gance talked about customer focus at Chemist Warehouse, mentioning anyone breathing is a target customer – that’s a vast market! Jana Kotatko stressed the importance of rejecting ideas that may harm customers. Emmanuel Vavoulas discussed the unique role of chemists in retail and the importance of trust. Michele Levine also explored trust, citing examples of successful trust-building. AI and Technology Are Enablers…Not Silver Bullets Retailers spoke of a complex "technology soup". Kieron Ritchard and Gareth Jude highlighted the misconception of technology as innovation, emphasizing a focus on ideas and execution rather than the adoption of tech. Ian Bailey showcased how technology, particularly AI, has transformed product development at Kmart, benefiting both the retailer and customers. Mirja Viinanen covered the importance of tech to simplify the shopping CX across channels at Ikea (still working on meatballs via phone). Sheerien Salindera of Adobe underscored the impact of poor product availability on customer churn and loyalty. Improving Store Productivity Is Imperative Several speakers emphasized the importance of maximizing physical space productivity – a topic very close to our hearts at Scalene. Craig Woolford highlighted this as crucial for determining which retailers will succeed in the current market. Leah Weckert discussed the challenge of converting sales with low net profit margins. Michael Schneider addressed the expansion of new product categories at Bunnings, such as Pets, driving growth and store productivity. A highlight was Claire Green sharing a case study on Officeworks' partnership with Scalene, resulting in a 7% increase in sales and margin, generating additional profit for reinvestment to benefit customers.

Last week, at the #ARALeadersForum our CEO Mick Moore and Claire Green created a lively discussion as they shared their experience working together to help drive +7% growth for Officeworks through strategic space optimisation across their store network. It’s been an incredibly rewarding 4+ years working with the team at Officeworks, leveraging data analytics to improve the customer offer, store productivity and total network performance. Officeworks has seen outstanding commercial and customer results by aligning data to business strategy and enabling their teams to make better data-led decisions. If you missed the session, click to find out what the buzz was about. https://lnkd.in/gsRGyMGh Aaron Fidler Peter Ristevski Nerida Power Krishna Padmanabhan REG JIGINS Trish Ferguson Pushkar Kumar #SpaceOptimisation #RetailInnovation #DataScience 

Thanks for sharing the stage at the #ARALeadersForum today Claire Green to discuss how Officeworks have been able to drive 7% growth in sales through proactive optimisation of category space in stores. Scalene Group’s partnership on this program with your team over the last 4+ years has been fabulous to be part of.

An insightful conversation with our CEO Mick Moore and Principals' Tim Riches and Hamish Cargill on how a better use of retail space makes for a better brand experience, happier customers and a stronger business. Thank you Principals for the opportunity to chat about all things #datascience #retail #space and #brand

We’re looking forward to next week’s ARA Leader’s Forum where Mick Moore and Claire Green will be on the main stage to share their experience working together to deliver some extraordinary results for Officeworks. If you’re also attending, please let us know! We’re as excited as you are about innovation in retail and are always up for a chat. Respond in the comments or DM our team attending next week to catch up. Mick Moore Aaron Fidler Peter Ristevski REG JIGINS Pushkar Kumar https://lnkd.in/g7uuQKdh #ARALeadersForum #retail