In the past 5 years, the face of Christmas shopping has changed dramatically in the UK. The previous world of two sales peaks, one in December and another in the Jan Sale, has been blown up by the introduction to the UK of Black Friday by US protagonists such as Amazon & Walmart owned Asda. But something seems to be stirring in UK retail that may mean that Black Friday has had its day.

Following on from the previous blog, this is designed to give you some practical hints and tips to avoid a fixed mindset.

How do you approach learning? Do you seek to learn or do you just ‘get through the here and now’ and hope to learn a few things to evidence just before your next 1-2-1?

We had a great night on Tuesday at the MRG, sharing findings from our recent study, Generation Game, which examines the role gaming plays in the lives of young consumers. With the increasing fragmentation of hardware platforms and a proliferation of services and payment models, there has never been a better time to understand how young people interact with this medium.

I’ve recently read two books which have made me think about the way we do research, particularly qualitative research. They helped me see the importance of understanding topics from another person’s perspective and translating lived experiences back up to the motivations.

The conference theme is contrarian thinking and how it can inspire creativity and change. As you’d expect from the industry body which represents strategic thinkers from across the marketing ecosystem, it’s a carefully curated menu served up to provoke and inspire. Half the speakers are experienced insiders, half are charismatic outsiders.

So you think you know your own mind?  A canny decision-maker immune to manipulation? Well think again… On Tuesday night in Leeds Richard Shotton brought us all down a peg or two by illustrating powerfully how we’re slaves to our psychological biases.

Whenever smart-speaker are mentioned in a conversation at work, Dan (our tech and media research director/gadget guru) bemoans the fact that he has been conditioned to only ask his Alexa what he knows it can understand. He also hates that Alexa can’t pick out his favourite Bob Dylan album (that I’ve forgotten already) * and has to settle for a mix of the greatest hits.

We know it’s important for brands to meet the needs of more vulnerable customers. There has been an emerging trend recently of inclusivity in supermarkets and online retail brands, for example supermarket accessibility for wheelchair users and quiet hours for those with Autism. It is likely that this approach will gradually expand into other sectors as companies increasingly adapt their research to include this significant proportion of the population and seek to obtain and be receptive to feedback from more vulnerable customers.

On Friday 28th September, the Leeds office took part in the MacMillan coffee Morning. Taking inspiration from “The Bake Off” we all got together and started to think about all the lovely sweet treats we could bake to go with a nice cuppa on Friday Morning.

We may need to wait until December before the golden envelope reveals all, but here at Trinity McQueen we couldn’t be more excited.  Being named Finalist for the prestigious MRS Best Agency UK award is the perfect end to a transformational year for us.  We’re growing fast, we’re full of confidence about the great work we’re delivering, and our amazing team is buzzing.

Life is complex and purchase decisions are largely made through system 1 thinking – irrational, instinctive and emotional.  For a brand to stand out from all the noise it needs to tap into this system 1 thinking.  Be the brand that makes consumer lives easier.  Which brands do that for you?

‘Stuffocation’ is a word used to describe the rejection of the stress, storage, maintenance, cost, and emissions that come will owning too much stuff! With shoppers abandoning the high street in larger numbers than during the depths of the recession, there is a clear call for something to give.

Do you want to be better at your job? Not to unfairly pigeonhole you or anything.

If the answer is yes, invest a few hours reading Les Binet and Sarah Carter’s How not to plan: 66 ways to screw it up. You won’t regret it.

Retail and shopper specialist, Sharon Hodgson has joined Trinity McQueen.  Former MD of Shopper & Retail at Ipsos Mori and director at Shoppercentric has joined the expanding retail team at Trinity McQueen, as Client Services Director.  With over 20 years’ experience in shopper insight, Hodgson’s appointment marks an exciting development for Trinity McQueen, as it deepens its expertise in multi-channel retail, grocery and FMCG in UK and internationally.