The Retail Recap – 29 August 2025 – what’s been making waves in retail this week?

From Co-op using ESLs to drive up new memberships in-store to M&S launching its second-hand offering on eBay and a final surge in Back To School shopping driving late summer sales, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

Co-op taps VusionGroup ESLs to grow memberships in-store

Co-op is using its recently launched Electronic Shelf Edge Labels (ESLs) from VusionGroup to make becoming a member in-store easier for shoppers.

Customers can now ‘tap to join’ its membership programme, with the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology embedded in the ESL, which directs the shopper to the Co-op’s membership webpage via their own mobile device.

“The ESLs not only have the potential to enhance product information, avoid paper waste and improve ways of working,” said David Tyas, Operations Innovation Lead at Co-op. “They can also enhance the shopping experience, [making] it easier for customers to become Co-op members and benefit from member price savings.”

Larger retailers outpace smaller brands for Peak Trading preparedness

A “preparation gap” is emerging in Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) readiness between retailers with the strategies and tools deployed to ensure success varying dramatically based on revenue.

Data from WooCommerce shows that larger retailers are investing earlier and more heavily in performance optimisation and payment innovation, while smaller businesses remain focused on traditional inventory-led strategies.

The study found larger retailers are up to four times more likely to offer advanced payment options such as Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Website performance has also overtaken inventory management as the number one strategic priority for peak trading, reflecting the growing importance of speed and reliability during high-traffic periods.

HubBox & PostNord team up to power Nordic OOH deliveries

HubBox and PostNord International have launched a new partnership, enabling retailers to offer secure, convenient and sustainable fulfilment options to shoppers across the Nordics.

Integrating HubBox’s pick-up software at the checkout allows customers to choose their preferred out-of-home (OOH) fulfilment locations. Combined with PostNord‘s extensive OOH delivery network and logistics infrastructure, the partnership offers 19,000+ pick-up locations at lockers, service points and retail counters in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

“This collaboration opens up OOH delivery across the region, supporting international retailers shipping into the Nordics as well as domestic brands looking for best-in-class software and ROI,” Sam Jarvis, CEO of HubBox, commented.

Guest Post | The hidden cost of tech investment delays

Economic uncertainty, tariffs and geopolitical headwinds have made retailers cautious in investing in critical technology infrastructure, slowing initiatives, tightening budgets and encouraging hesitant mindsets.

But now isn’t the time to hold back, says Fluent Commerce’s Abdelkader Keddari. In our latest guest post, he explores:

🎲 The high stakes – and cost – of doing nothing
⚡ Tech investment for the economic recovery
💪 Strategies for setting up resilient tech stacks
🤖 Investing in solutions that drive competitive advantage

Read the full article here 👉 Guest Post | Fluent Commerce’s Abdelkader Keddari on cost of tech delays.

M&S launches second-hand eBay store with Reskinned

Marks & Spencer has launched a dedicated clothing resale service on eBay powered by Reskinned.

M&S customers can trade-in second hand clothing clothing, footwear and accessories through its official M&S x eBay store – with 15% of resale profits going to Oxfam.

“We’re delighted to partner with the pre-loved experts at eBay and Reskinned to launch a dedicated resale platform. This offers more ways for customers to give items Another Life [and] an opportunity for customers to purchase items they might have missed from previous seasons,” said M&S’ Monique Leewenburgh.

To use the service customers fill out a short form on M&S.com, or scan a QR codes in-store, then send their items using a free local courier service.

Retailers set for second wave of Back To School shopping

Back-to-school searches peaked in late July, but budget conscious parents are expected to drive a second surge of pre-school-term shopping, according to research from fulfilment provider, fulfilmentcrowd.

Parents are already deal-hunting for children’s clothing, footwear, stationery, homeware and electronics ahead of the start of the new academic year. More than one in ten (12%) shopped in the first week of the holidays and another 14% having begun purchasing from week three, according to data from myvouchercodes.

“We’re expecting a late surge, which may be due to anticipation of deals, offers and sales that many retailers implement as the start of the new school year approaches,” Lee Thompson, CEO of fulfilmentcrowd, said.

Wunderkind launches agentic AI Experiences to boost engagement

Performance marketing tech provider, Wunderkind, has launched AI Experiences, a new portfolio of AI-led tools. The solution leverages identity, customer behaviour data and agentic decision-making to deliver hyper-personalised engagement at scale.

Moving beyond traditional solutions built on static rules and manual logic, Wunderkind’s AI Experiences triangulate data with AI decisioning. This determines the best timing and channels for engagement across email and SMS.

It also uses affinity modelling to deliver personalised product recommendations, helping retailers drive conversions, expand reach and scale personalisation.