ASOS Live Shopping, Harrods Tech, Asda’s Charity TikTok Shop, and Lidl’s Price Slash — With Simone Oloman

🌐 Visit Retail News.AI, your premium destination for the most relevant, cutting-edge information in the retail sector: https://retailnews.ai/💬 Which of these trends do you think will shape the future of retail the most — and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below!✅ Subscribe now and never miss a new episode of The Retail Podcast.   / @theretailpodcast  --------🎧 Listen to The Retail Podcast on your favorite platform:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6FZsZp8...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...--------Welcome to the official YouTube channel of THE RETAIL PODCAST, the leading community for global retail leaders, innovators, and changemakers.If you are struggling to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving industry, looking for insights from major conferences like NRF, Shoptalk, and EuroCIS, or aiming to connect your digital funnels to physical events with measurable ROI, this channel is designed for you.➡️ Hosted by Alex Rezvan and joined by some of the most respected voices in the sector, The Retail Podcast brings sharp, actionable insights from industry veterans with backgrounds at Microsoft and Verizon, where projects worth over $1.5 billion were directed. Our mission is to help retailers and businesses that sell to retailers anticipate change, embrace technology, and unlock new growth opportunities.Here you will discover exclusive interviews with executives and innovators, coverage of global retail conferences, analysis of technology and AI trends, in-depth explorations of fashion, grocery, luxury, and eCommerce, and thought leadership that keeps your strategy relevant all year long. As part of the RetailNews.AI ecosystem, this channel does more than report the news—it shapes the conversation on the future of retail.Subscribe now and activate notifications so you never miss the strategies, stories, and signals defining tomorrow’s retail.--------📲 Follow us on LinkedIn to stay connected with daily retail insights and industry updates.  / the-retail-podcast  📩 Contact us at: [e-mail]--------🔗 References: 5 Things Friday with Simone OlomanIn this episode, Simone and I dive into five standout stories reshaping retail, tech, and culture. We discuss:A bold breast cancer awareness campaignThe surge of video + live shopping in retailThe ongoing battle against shoplifting / shrinkOura’s luxury concept at HarrodsGrocery retail’s price war ahead of the holidaysLinks & Resources“FT article on live shopping / retail trends” — Financial TimesHarrods Technology & department link (for the concept / tech space)ASDA’s first ever charity TikTok shop newsLidl’s press release on slashing prices for customersASOS Live shopping / video commerce announcementAbout the HostsAlex — Retail thought leader, helping brands amplify their voice, especially on LinkedInSimone Oloman — Co-founder & CEO, Need for Tonight--------⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Intro & welcome00:55 – Story #1: Breast cancer awareness campaign02:21 – Story #2: Live shopping inside apps03:31 – Sto

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
It's Friday. I'm saying a hotel lobby room.
It's pretty embarrassing saying it's Friday.
Welcome to five things Friday, Simone, how are you?

(00:20):
I'm. Good.
How are you? Happy Friday.
I think Friday and I was just saying I'm in a hotel lobby room
and every time my voice goes up a little high to But anyway,
welcome to five things Friday. We are going to be as punctual
as we always are. So we're going to dive straight
in. My name's Alex.
I help brands that sell to retailers maintain their thought

(00:42):
leadership and increase their LinkedIn presence as we've just
recently been talking about. And I'm joined by my wonderful,
fabulous 2 worked, wonderful andfabulous.
Now, Simone, hello and welcome. Hello hi everybody, I'm the Co
founder and CEO of need it for tonight.
Always say easiest way to describe us as highlight

(01:03):
delivery but for quality passion.
OK, we're going to start this week story with something that
you and I both love when we heard it tickled pink it's
breast cancer awareness in and as there have got this fantastic
offer. So if you've got a local ads
there and you want to support breast cancer awareness at a
£7.17 bundle, which is all aboutraising awareness for going to

(01:27):
get checked. I don't know how awkward it is
having a man talk about this. But anyway, it's don't take it
from me. Take it from someone who's a
health professional. We all need to get tested and in
in all fairness, maybe next weekyou can do Movember as I'm doing
sensor awareness. You, you Movember and I will
talk about them. But anyway, I think it's a it's

(01:47):
a cracking example of social campaign LED near and dear to a
lot of people up and down the country.
So kudos to to as they're well done.
And obviously that and just I had to double read this.
My understanding is all of thoseproducts add up to £7, which
seems like a value for money bundle as well.

(02:09):
And, and they're all in the colour pink.
So if you like pink and you wantyour Diet Coke in a pink can get
yourself off to Asda Simone, over to you.
Oh. I love that one.
Also a very good deal and to fora bit cold yes and what I want
to keep an eye on this week is it's just launched a new live
shopping feature inside that app.

(02:30):
It merges short form video content real time shopping, I
guess aiming to bring in you know, install and discovery and
I guess purchasing into one seamless experience.
I guess it's it's a shop, but indone inside their own ecosystem,
which I think is a really smart move yeah.

(02:51):
I mean, if you're someone who's wanting styling or something
lying head there because how it says adding, you know, people
don't want to scroll endlessly through anymore.
You know, they want contact personality.
They think they want to go oh, Ilike that.
I own that. But in under 90 seconds, like

(03:12):
how they've been on on TikTok shop on TikTok shop.
Obviously early days, but I think SS's live shopping could
start, especially if they start to lean into creators and drop
culture. Yeah, it's not just this
anymore. Really, really expected and
intrigued to set to see where that goes.
Yeah, I think. I think it's my one money on it

(03:33):
to keep us in time. When I was at Microsoft, there's
there then CEO sort of got up infront of the city end of the
report saying how they've set upthis data platform and how this
data platform is going to give them loads of insights.
It's going to give them, you know, all those secret juicy
things that you can't just get from being on Instagram on Jake
talk on another social media platform.

(03:54):
And for me, I've seen Zara experiment with this, some
people trying to do it by YouTube.
This is ultimately about trying to capture as much data, but
your right true data as opposed to coming through Instagram.
Obviously Instagram works, TikTok works and you you get it
at at it's like post purchase. You know what per someones
bought, but you have no idea of the journey through your store.

(04:18):
And I think we'll see more of these directors of initiatives
on how retailers are going to do, especially online retailers
here. They're going to try and capture
more of that sort of have more of that data capture as they go
through. Staying with me, Richard Walker,
the frozen foods would like basic basically Iceland's at AFT

(04:38):
event highlighted and bought up something that I've spoken about
for years. I partner with people who work
in the since from Britain. There is a war continued ongoing
with shoplifting. Everyone agrees it's not a
faceless crime. Everyone agrees specifically
when it comes to harassment or use shopping or work or

(05:00):
frontline work, it's not acceptable and the level of
investment to go into tackling it is only going to continue to
grow and it's a global problem. Well, any of the shares from
Australia to the US, retailers are still looking at ways to
invest in preventing or combating one of the biggest

(05:21):
headache in retail, which is strength prevention.
And the reason why I'm highlighting this is obviously
it sometimes people say oh, but this story is like 3 years old.
This story has not gone away because society and all the
elements around it. What has changed dramatically is
the investment in technology. And so there are now lots of new

(05:45):
shrink prevention or shopliftingprevention solutions that were
available three years ago. And it's interesting to see that
given a, a platform such as the F senior executives still have
this as right. So that was a very serious one.
Now moving to I think this is your sweet spot.

(06:06):
Luxury, right? Luxury technology.
Yeah, this one definitely caughtmy eye.
So Aura, which is the Wellness tech brand behind the cult Aura
ring, which is the thing what it's most known for.
It's just opened its first ever concept.
When I say concept space at Harrods, for those that don't

(06:26):
know, it's wearable, very stylish, sleep and recovery
tracking. The space is actually already
opened. It opened the 2nd of October and
it's a part of Harrods Tech 1 goin obviously about the I think
they've just released you all rubric guest size and purchase
on site. But I think it's what's really

(06:48):
interesting here is that this tome signals just how far well
this is moved into the luxury spheres.
Five years ago, wearable tech was either very clinical or, or
or potty. And now it's been sold next to
fine jewellery, next to perfume and designer bags.

(07:09):
And with a price point, you know, it's been positioned as
both the health tool and the fashion accessory, which I think
we we've covered before when speaking.
But yeah, it's also obviously about retail storytelling.
You know, it's more than a product, as we've very much
discussed before, it's about an experience sizing, it's
education, aspiration. But in this very beautiful

(07:33):
prestige space. So yeah, I really love it.
I just, it's another example of how tacky is crossing over into
into lifestyle retail, not just electronics.
So love it. We'll be going down.
Yeah, well, I was going to say, if Aura are watching as brands
sometimes do watch and they needan ambassador, I can't think of

(07:55):
anyone better than Simone to be wearing your technology to
demonstrate how a young executive is balancing her
health data and the real world. So Aura, you know where you need
to send your. I know what it's called anyway,
your sample to to to the retail podcast AKA Simone Oliver.
Anyway, so it's Christmas season.

(08:17):
I know I said this last week andwe got to get through Halloween,
got to get through Bonfire Nightand a few other celebrations.
But for grocers, they are in full swing.
Soup. Sorry, Sainsbury's and Argos in
a recruitment Dr and Lidl is investing 250 million in
slashing prices for customers during the golden quarter.
And I think that they'll say this isn't about Christmas.

(08:39):
It's not about winning the Christmas shop, but it's 100%
trying to get people into Lidl on the way up into the golden
quarter or through the golden quarter to get that value to
keep driving those promotions. So again, a massive investment
for what is already a a really competitively priced market.

(09:00):
And again, let's see, we'll we'll be able to see post
Christmas who the winner is or not in in the in the, in the
competitive competitive four times in the competitive grocery
market. We're only going to see more and
more and more and three weeks back Morrison buyer, the

(09:21):
starting gun on price reduction and invest leading up onto
Christmas. Little has now joined.
And I will definitely expect to see Sainsbury's and Tesco's all
looking at Christmas shoppers and how they're going to
incentivize them to commit to them on this path to Christmas.
With that, we've done it, I think.

(09:41):
Is it record time or not? Is it record time?
Almost a record time, 1 1/2 minutes.
I'm impressed. I think come down to about 10
once we edit all of my differentelements out.
So anyway, I know you've got a hard stop, so thank you so much.
Until next week. Thanks, Alex.
Bye.