Do you like numbers? Do you like retail technology? Then this is the article for you.

61%…After experiencing a Black Friday powered surge in demand in November, UK e-commerce ventures saw revenues dip during December, according to research from Wunderkind.

They fell 61% week-on-week (w/c 30.11 vs 07.12) in the first week of the month, dropping a further 26% the week after (w/c 07.12 vs 14.12). 

SEK 107 million…Best Buy has placed a SEK 107 million order to continue deploying Pricer's electronic shelf labels (ESL) system in 119 stores.

£25 million…Digital operations platform venture Brightpearl has announced a £25 million Series C round, led by Sage.

14…US-based online grocer Farmstead will bring its service to Nashville, TN, in late Q1 2021. 

The venture got its start in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is now also live in North Carolina. It is planning to expand to at least 14 more markets in 2021.

$60 million…Frictionless shopping outfit, Trigo, has announced a $60 million Series B funding round led by 83North. 

200…M&S has launched a new, on-the-spot payment solution to help relieve queues at the checkouts this Christmas.

Available at 200 of the retailer’s stores, this allows staff members to pick out customers waiting in line to pay for just a few items, and process their transaction via a handheld Honeywell device. 

10%…Morrisons has extended its 10% discount to teachers, school staff, NHS staff and blue light card holders until further notice.

A spokesperson for the supermarket said that this was to “recognise and thank them for the care and support they have offered to the British public throughout the coronavirus pandemic”.

40%…Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas, saw UK footfall drop by 40% year-on-year, according to research by Sensormatic.

Data from ShopperTrak, which captures 40 billion shopper visits each year, showed that high streets were particularly badly affected, with footfall plummeting -44% on Super Saturday compared to 2019.  

2…Gucci is to launch two flagship stores for its fashion and beauty lines on Alibaba Group’s Tmall Luxury Pavilion platform.

The first one, which opened on 21st December, offers its leather goods, ready-to-wear, accessories, watches and jewellery collections, and will be followed by a beauty store launching in February, operated by its license partner, Coty. 

60-70%…Online now accounts for 60-70% of John Lewis sales whereas before the coronavirus pandemic it was 40%.

Customers are also now shopping during the working day (11am-4pm) rather than their evenings (7pm-10pm). Those are key findings from the retailer’s Shop Live Look report.

28%…Just 28% of UK retailers felt that they were properly equipped to maintain business continuity in the early stages of Covid-19, according to research by Google Cloud.

20…Zôdio has rolled out Openbravo’s PoS solution to its 20 stores in France.

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