From consumer confidence improving ahead of the Golden Quarter, to Tesco building enhanced discovery experiences into F&F Online and The Cotswold Company expanding its omnichannel reach with M&S, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

Shopper confidence rises ahead of Peak Trading

Summer ended with a small increase in consumer confidence, with around half of people treating themselves to a meal out or new clothing in the last three months, says KPMG UK’s latest Consumer Pulse survey.

Original research of 3,000 UK consumers showed that 56% of people feel financially secure – rising +1 percentage point from the previous quarter.

While the majority of people (55%) believe that the UK economy is worsening, the measure fell from 60% last quarter and continued the downward trend from 62% when the year began. Meanwhile, those who feel the economy is improving increased by +1 percentage point to 13%.

“The final quarter of the year, including Black Friday and Christmas, is key for retailers – who will be hoping to improve further upon the early summer months. But macroeconomic challenges remain, as does the impact of an ongoing majority of consumers feeling the UK economy is worsening,” said Linda Ellett, UK Head of Consumer, Retail and Leisure for KPMG UK.

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Tesco launches new search tools for F&F Online

Following its relaunch of F&F Online, Tesco is expanding its digital fashion offering, with additional styles and exclusive ranging, supported by enhanced search functionalities to deliver more seamless outfit inspiration and CX.

Enhanced search tools will support customer journeys across F&F’s channels, helping shoppers find and discover the styles, colours and sizes they want faster. Meanwhile, an F&F Wishlist feature allows consumers to curate their search and bring their favourite items together in one place.

“F&F has become a destination for customers looking for great style at great value, and we’re continuing to invest in making that experience even better,” said Katja Ahola Klamkin, MD of Home & Clothing at Tesco.

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Fashion shoppers shy away from end-to-end AI purchases

New research from ACI Worldwide shows that trust, transparency and control remain critical requirements before fashion shoppers are ready to hand over purchasing decisions to AI agents.

Polling over 3,300 consumers, its study revealed that, while consumers see a role for AI in helping them shop smarter, just 7% of fashion shoppers would allow an AI assistant to make purchases for them without approval, with most consumers preferring to maintain oversight of spending decisions.

This follows separate research by the MACH Alliance, which found that a third (32%) of shoppers are happy for AI to take control of researching a purchase, but they still want to retain authority over the final product selection and spending decision.

“Consumers are drawing a clear distinction between AI that helps them make better decisions and AI that makes decisions for them,” said Adriana Lordan, Global Head of Merchant Product Management and Payment Intelligence at ACI Worldwide.

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The Cotswold Company grows omnichannel reach with M&S

Premium furniture and homeware retailer, The Cotswold Company, has partnered with M&S to launch a “made-to-last” collection online, as it seeks to extend its omnichannel footprint and create further opportunities to reach new customers.

Orders will be fulfilled via The Cotswold Company’s Cotswold Home Delivery, a specialist white-glove delivery service, and will build on the brand’s third-party retail partnerships.

“We’re delighted to partner with Marks & Spencer,” said Ralph Tucker, CEO of The Cotswold Company, adding: “There is a strong alignment between our brands around high-quality products, great service and exceptional value.”

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The Entertainer taps THG Commerce for omnichannel push

Independent toy retailer, The Entertainer, will team up with THG Commerce, part of THG Ingenuity, as its new digital commerce partner, accelerating its omnichannel capabilities and unlocking new ways for customers to discover and shop online and in-store.

The partnership will see THG Commerce design, build and power The Entertainer’s new digital experiences, creating more intuitive, inspiring and personalised buying journeys.

The new experience will be designed around different customer missions, from buying for children to gifting occasions, such as birthdays or Christmas.

It will include AI-enabled shopping assistance, conversational discovery and intent-led search capabilities to help customers explore thousands of products and find the right choice more intuitively.

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M&S teams up with Too Good To Go to tackle food waste

Over 350 M&S Food stores will start offering Too Good To Go ‘Surprise Bags’ of surplus bakery products, helping customers find quality food at reduced prices while also cutting food waste.

The national launch follows a trial in a select number of M&S stores and is the latest move in its efforts to cut food waste. Customers can order their Surprise Bags through the Too Good To Go app and collect them Monday to Saturday, one hour before their local store closes.

“Too Good To Go is a brilliant example of how we’re turning our commitment to reducing food waste into practical action,” said Lucinda Langton, Head of Sustainability at M&S Food. “The response from our trial stores has been outstanding, and this partnership is another positive step towards our goal of halving food waste by 2030.”

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Sitoo sets sights on U.S. with the opening of New York office

POS and Unified Commerce platform, Sitoo, has made its move into North America with the opening of a dedicated New York office, as it continues to grow its U.S. footprint across brands and tech partners.

Sitoo has been steadily expanding into North America, following a number of brand partnerships, including sporting retailer, Rally House, which it started working with in 2024. It has also been growing its network of U.S. focused tech partners, such as Zebra and Adyen.

Isabell Aakervik, Chief Expansion Officer at Sitoo, said the move would help retailers “modernise store operations.” She added: “[We’re] looking forward to helping more North American retailers modernise store operations, connect every channel in real-time and create better customer experiences.”

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