From Lidl moving to points-based perks in its loyalty app, to Ulta Beauty going big on q-commerce ahead of U.S. Mother’s Day, and Vinted inking a new deal to double deliveries through Royal Mail, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

Lidl moves to points-based perks in Lidl Plus loyalty app

Lidl has introduced a new way for customers to earn rewards, replacing Coupon Plus with a points-based scheme within its Lidl Plus app, to give shoppers more choice when selecting loyalty programme perks.

Customers will now be able to earn Lidl Plus Points, which can be redeemed on perks within its Rewards Marketplace, offering “more freedom” to choose how loyalty is rewarded.

“Everything we do is driven by a deep understanding of customer needs and a commitment to exceeding their expectations,” said Louise Weise, Chief Customer Officer at Lidl GB.

“We’ve listen[ed] to customers and it was clear from the feedback that they wanted more freedom to decide the rewards that suit them,” she added.

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Lavazza unifies international payments with Ayden

Lavazza will extend its work with fintech provider, Adyen, bringing together international payments systems across its global markets to support Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) and B2B ecommerce growth.

The move will unify Lavazza’s payments strategy, reducing complexity, strengthening security and creating a scalable infrastructure to underpin growth.

“The true benefit of a unified platform isn’t just processing transactions; it’s seeing the whole picture,” says Roelant Prins, CCO at Adyen.

In addition to the scalability offered by Ayden’s payment platform, the partnership will also foster greater innovation capabilities, allowing the coffee brand to transform payment experiences and strengthen customer relationships.

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Early Easter & inflation fears see -10.7% footfall drop in April

Retailers saw a sharp decline in April’s footfall figures, after the impact of an early Easter and consumer fears of future price rises played into a -10.7% decline in store visits, says new figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Sensormatic.

BRC-Sensormatic data showed that last month total UK footfall decreased by -10.7%, with High Street footfall declining by -9.2% and Retail Parks by -9%.

When combined, footfall over March and April 2026 fell by -3.9% overall versus 2025. However, “even after correcting for Easter, April was still a weak month for footfall,” said Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the BRC.

Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA for Sensormatic, commented that April’s performance delivered a “sobering reminder” of how fragile retail’s footfall recovery remains.

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Guest Post | eBay on the trends shaping circular retail

Circular fashion and the pre-loved economy is driving demand spikes outside of traditional ‘peak trading’ periods, says eBay Advertising UK’s Billy Mills, presenting retailers and brands with new sales and engagement opportunities.

As shopping moving beyond the seasons, he explores:
♻️ The new ‘make it last’ consumer mindset
👗 The opportunity of re-sale
⛰️ Strategies for planning beyond peaks
🧵 Turning repair and reuse behaviours into sales and loyalty

Read the full article 👉 Guest Post | eBay’s Billy Mills on the behaviours shaping retail’s circular opportunity.

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Vinted inks new two-year deal with Royal Mail

Royal Mail and Vinted have extended their partnership for another two years, seeing Royal Mail delivering more pre-loved Vinted parcels to home addresses and its growing network of pick-up-drop-off (PUDO) locations.

“Extending our partnership with Royal Mail means we can keep improving how people buy and sell second-hand on Vinted,” said Vytautas Atkočaitis, VP of Vinted Go.

As demand for pre-loved continues to rise, Royal Mail said it expects to double the number of Vinted parcels it processes as part of the two year deal.

“Over the next two years, we’ll be delivering even more Vinted parcels, both by our beloved posties to customers’ homes and to our convenient parcel points in local communities,” said Mike Richmond, CCO at Royal Mail.

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Ulta Beauty taps Uber Eats’ rapid delivery across 1.5k+ stores

Ulta Beauty, the largest specialty beauty retailer in North America, has expanded its partnership with Uber Eats to offer rapid deliveries ahead of U.S. Mother’s Day.

Adding over 1,500 stores to the q-commerce provider’s marketplace, Ulta Beauty will expand its on-demand fulfilment for customers across beauty, wellness and self-care categories.

“We’re focused on creating seamless, flexible ways for our guests to discover and shop the brands they love,” said Jodi Williams, VP of Ecommerce at Ulta Beauty.

“Partnering with Uber Eats allows us to extend our omnichannel experience, bringing beauty and wellness products directly to guests’ doors with speed and convenience,” Williams added.

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Q-commerce drives demand for fast & immediate store CX

The rapid rise of q-commerce platforms, such as Deliveroo, is reshaping UK shoppers’ grocery demands, raising the bar for in-store experiences across pricing and loyalty, says new research from Pricer.

Its study of 1,000 UK grocery shoppers showed that consumers are increasingly influenced by the digital convenience and personalised experiences they receive on rapid delivery platforms.

And this is prompting more demand for personalised offers and frictionless pricing within their bricks-and-mortar buying journeys.

“Shoppers are now used to personalised pricing, real-time promotions and seamless loyalty integration,” said Finn Wikander, CPO at Pricer. “They increasingly expect the same level of transparency and responsiveness when they walk into a physical store.”

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