ASPR - PR & Content Marketing

Great to see our client LoyaltyLion featured in the Financial Times. The article looks at the growth in UK subscription spending and how businesses are thinking about customer retention. LoyaltyLion's CEO Charlie Casey said businesses were “increasingly focused on lifetime value and repeat purchasing”, rather than treating every sale as an isolated transaction. “We’re also seeing the lines between subscriptions, memberships and loyalty programmes blur,” he added. Thanks to Aliya Shibli for including Charlie, and to Francesca for her fab work on this. Read the piece here: https://lnkd.in/enx3SmRV

Here’s what’s been happening across retail, ecommerce and hospitality over the past week: 🛍️ Visualsoft reaches Shopify Platinum status Following 200 Shopify launches, Visualsoft has achieved Platinum Partner status. Shopify-related services now account for around 20% of the business. We’re delighted to see this milestone for our client. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eVeBJTah 🤖 Gap Inc. puts AI to work on Christmas hiring Gap Inc. is expanding its AI recruitment assistant after a pilot in which nearly 45,000 candidates interacted with the tool and more than 7,000 interviews were scheduled. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e3vQZXyR 🚨 Co-op trials a new approach to retail crime A crime-reporting platform trialled with Devon and Cornwall Police achieved a solve rate of almost 60%, compared with 30.6% for shop theft reported through traditional channels. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e6qWfnd6 🏨 Hotel teams can ask AI about their property data Hotel software provider roommaster has launched an AI connector that lets teams use compatible assistants to ask questions about arrivals, reservations and other property information. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eGc2KUGb 🔨 Wickes reports its fastest growth of the year Group revenue rose 4.5% in the third quarter, driven by retail and trade customers, although larger kitchen and bathroom projects remained subdued. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRtqgVKH Follow Commerce Voice for the latest updates in the industry. #Retail #Ecommerce #Hospitality #RetailTech Visualsoft | Shopify Platinum Partner | Unified Retail Agency David Duke Chris Fletcher

Top 250? Our client Reveni made the top 20 Reveni has ranked 19th in Sifted’s 250 fastest-growing startups in Europe for 2026, based on revenue growth. Founded in Madrid, the business now works with more than 300 ecommerce brands across Europe. We started working with Reveni at ASPR in August, and it’s been great getting to know the team and the retailers they support. A lovely milestone to celebrate. Congratulations to Fernando Pedraz and the whole Reveni team 👏 Irene Martínez Kevin Paiser

We get going straight away 🏃♀️➡️ In our first six months of working with One iota, we delivered 👇 📰 37 pieces of earned media coverage 👥 A combined audience of 700,000 💬 231 One iota brand mentions 🔗 23 backlinks 🎯 100% of coverage in retail, technology and business media Knowing the retail tech sector helps us identify the stories and media opportunities we can get moving on from the start. For One iota, that meant bringing together customer success stories, product launches and expert commentary to build a consistent media presence. Thanks to One iota CEO Joe Till for the lovely words: “ASPR has quickly become an extension of the One iota team. They understand retail technology and know how to turn our expertise, customer results and product developments into stories that resonate with the media. In just six months, they significantly increased our visibility, secured coverage in publications that matter to our audience and helped establish a much clearer voice for the business.” Link to the full case study 👇

A lot happened in commerce last week. From AI changing how customers discover hotels and travel information to marketplace growth, retail media, connected restaurants and cyber risk, here’s what you might have missed… 🏨 Radisson Hotel Group reported higher booking conversion from customers arriving through ChatGPT. Its hotel discovery service was developed by Accenture Song using OpenAI technology. ✈️ Heathrow is working with Adobe to improve the visibility of its passenger information across AI search and support more personalised content on its new website. 🛒 Tesco Marketplace passed 1,000 sellers as its product range and weekly traffic continued to grow. 🔐 ASOS.com faced a cyberattack that used the retailer’s own notification system to contact customers. 🧠 The Very Group recorded an early revenue uplift from AI personalisation technology supplied by Made With Intent. 📺 Cotswold Outdoor Group expanded its in-store retail media network with Broadsign, IUF and Zitcha following an initial campaign with HOKA. 🍵 Tata Consumer Products appointed THG Ingenuity to support the UK ecommerce operations of teapigs, Good Earth and ORGANIC INDIA. 🥪 Subway unveiled a digitally connected restaurant design featuring self-service kiosks, digital screens and dedicated collection points. 🍺 Star Pubs replaced traditional mystery visits with a reputation-management app that brings customer reviews together and uses AI to help publicans respond. Follow Commerce Voice for a weekly roundup of the retail, ecommerce and hospitality technology stories worth knowing. The latest Commerce Catch-Up is linked in the comments ⬇️

Last week was a very physical week in commerce 🛍️ 💰🛒 Stores, fitting rooms, grocery lockers, food halls and warehouses all featured in this week’s Commerce Voice coverage. Here’s what you might have missed… 💄 SEPHORA will launch in 100 Marks and Spencer stores from spring 2027, giving the beauty retailer a bigger physical footprint across the UK. 🛒 Morrisons is piloting temperature-controlled Click & Collect lockers with StrongPoint and VoCoVo, making grocery collections faster and more flexible. 👗 River Island introduced RFID self-checkouts and smart fitting rooms at its new Milton Keynes store, allowing shoppers to request another size without leaving the cubicle. 🤖 THG Fulfil expanded its partnership with AutoStore™, giving retailers the choice of owning their warehouse-automation systems, using Robotics-as-a-Service or combining the two. 🏬 CBRE research found AI investment and physical expansion are happening in parallel, with 91% of respondents still describing stores as core to their strategy and 76% rating them more effective than online for consumer engagement. 🧊 Iceland Foods is deploying Retail Insight’s AI-powered technology to identify products at risk of becoming food waste and help store teams intervene earlier. 🏰 Disney Store launched a free UK loyalty programme built around early access, exclusive offers and convenience rather than traditional points. 🔎 In our latest Women in Commerce Q&A, Provenance CEO Sarah Arana-Morton discussed trust in AI shopping, building her career from Tesco Clubcard analytics and why you shouldn’t wait until you feel completely ready. 🛍️ The Very Group appointed former Frasers Group marketing chief Beckie Crane-Stanion to lead its next phase of brand growth. 🍽️ Freight Island secured £3 million through the British Business Bank Investment Fund for Northern Ireland, managed by Whiterock, to support its expansion. 🍺 BrewDog made four senior appointments across marketing, hospitality, category strategy and international growth as it begins its next phase under Tilray Brands, Inc. Link in the comments to read more ⬇️

There’s a lot of tech to be seen at this year’s Hospitality Tech Expo. From Ottolenghi Group and Honest Burgers Ltd on choosing technology that works in practice, to Nory, Apicbase and Served exploring AI and the guest experience. To put it simply, the agenda is packed! Our founder Abi Spencer has picked out the sessions we’ll be following across both days below. If you’re there, we’d love to hear what stands out to you.

Silver for Patchworks at the 2026 eCommerce Awards! 🥈 🙌 Delighted to see our client take silver in the Best eCommerce Support Business category, recognising the work they do to help retailers connect the systems behind their operations. We worked with the Patchworks team on their entry, bringing together the results that show the difference their platform makes. It’s brilliant to see that work recognised. Congratulations to Jim Herbert, Delfina De Moura Alex Johnstone-Rogers and everyone at Patchworks. A huge well done to everyone else who won awards on the night, including Starlinks Global and Diamond Logistics Ltd on their awards 👏 We’ve shared more about the win, including the results behind the entry, in our blog ⬇️

AI was everywhere at NRF Retail's Big Show Europe, but the most interesting conversations were about where it actually adds value. Across sessions from Marks and Spencer, Pets at Home, C&A, Impact Analytics, Uber Eats, Square and more, a few themes kept coming up: 👉 Don’t automate for automation’s sake 👉 Technology alone isn’t transformation 👉 People and adoption still matter 👉 The fundamentals have to work 👉 And ultimately, there needs to be a genuine business or customer outcome For B2B tech brands, that last point is particularly important. Buyers are bombarded with AI claims. Simply saying your product uses AI isn’t a differentiator anymore. The interesting story is the problem you’re solving and the impact you’re having. We’ve pulled together our five biggest takeaways from NRF Europe 👇

Last week, our founder Abi Spencer joined our client Visualsoft | Shopify Premier Partner | Unified Retail Agency at Sync in Manchester. The live Shopify POS room was a great addition, giving everyone the chance to get hands-on with the technology. The day also brought together some brilliant brands, including REFY, Kijimea, Manors Golf Apparel, Debenhams, Mooncup Ltd, TikTok Shop, JD Sports Fashion and more - alongside the technology helping them grow. It was also great to see Shopify, Ingrid ⚫️, Clearer, Depict, ChannelEngine, Attentive, Swap, Octane AI and SparkLayer B2B all involved. A fantastic day of honest brand stories and new technology. Well done to the whole Visualsoft team, Laura Bennett and Chris Fletcher Ashley Wright Kirsty Addison Tim Mawson.