Retail Analysis


THE GOLDEN QUARTER: PERFECT PROMOTIONS THROUGH INTELLIGENT MERCHANDISING


Retail Express’ Ed Betts explains why this year’s Golden Quarter will be even tougher than the last and how AI-driven merchandising can help retailers thrive as inflation and interest rates bite hard.


T 6 | November/December 2023


he 100-day countdown to Christmas – a period which also includes key dates such as Halloween, Black Friday and Cyber


Monday in quick succession – is the busiest period in the retail calendar, and unquestionably the most challenging. This year’s Golden Quarter will likely be one of the most difficult in recent memory. Retailers will well know how incredibly difficult


the 2022 Golden Quarter was. The cost-of-living crisis hamstrung customers’ appetite for spending,


strike action disrupted supply chains, and international incidents negatively affected global trade and freight costs. Retailers are approaching 2023’s key period still reeling from the last, and though the economic balance has shifted slightly, inflation and interest rates prove it has not necessarily changed for the better. 2022’s prohibitive energy prices forced many


retailers to hedge those costs, meaning their delayed bite is now being felt across the industry.


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