The Shopping Forecast

Weddings are becoming a bigger spending event and social media is driving the change, but are all these extra costs necessary for the big day?In this episode of The Shopping Forecast, Catherine and Elizabeth welcome their first ever guest, Lucy Hitchcock, founder of Partner in Wine and content creator, to talk about all things bridal consumerism. From wedding merch and hen dos to the pressure to create a picture-perfect day for social media, they unpack just how much the wedding industry encourages us to buy. Lucy talks about her own year and a half immersed in bridal fashion, from choosing pieces she could wear again to deliberately avoiding personalised products that would end up gathering dust. They discuss the rise of bridal merch, how social media has changed expectations around weddings, and whether the pressure to make your big day look perfect online is making weddings more stressful.They also look at the businesses making the most of the bridal boom and the companies selling products for every stage of the wedding journey. After experiencing an elaborate hen do herself, Lucy admits that some of the things she once thought had gone too far suddenly made a lot more sense when it was her turn.Plus: Lucy's accidental career as a fashion content creator, learning how to dress for your body, a very clever Duolingo bag collaboration, the eye-patch packaging drama, and why looking good on a dog walk might actually make you feel better.The Shopping Forecast is a podcast that proves shopping is about so much more than what's in your basket.To hear more from us follow The Shopping Forecast! Get in touch with us at  [email protected]: Subscribe to our channel The Shopping Forecast to watch the video version https://www.youtube.com/@TheShoppingForecastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshoppingforecast/Find ElizabethInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/Website: https://www.elizabethstiles.co.uk/Podcast: The Fashion Brand Clinic https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-fashion-brand-clinic-podcast/id1456543176Find Catherine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientretailclubWebsite: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/Podcast: The Resilient Retail Game Plan https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast/Find Lucy HithcockInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyhitchcockInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/partnerinwineukWebsite: https://www.partnerinwine.co.uk

What actually happens when a high street retailer goes bust? In this episode of The Shopping Forecast, Catherine and Elizabeth get into the murky world of retail administration. From Harvey Nichols and Paperchase to Topshop, Debenhams and Coast, the collapse of a high-street name doesn't necessarily mean the end of the brand — but it can mean a very different future for the people and businesses behind it.What does it mean when a brand is bought out of administration, and what exactly are the buyers getting? Why can a famous name, website, customer database or intellectual property be more valuable than the shops themselves? And when a business can effectively start again under a new legal entity, who ends up bearing the cost?They also unpack the increasingly entertaining rivalry between M&S and Aldi, from Colin and Cuthbert the Caterpillar to dupe culture, premium ranges and the battle for the same shoppers. Can M&S protect its premium positioning while competing with Aldi on value? And as Aldi makes everyday shopping feel increasingly special, can M&S remain the destination for those little luxuries?Plus: the surprising things our pets actually want, leopard-print coats, customer loyalty, perfume-inspired laundry products, AI-generated adverts, why fashion deserves to be taken seriously as a career, tiny photo printers, robot hoovers and the eternal question: is a £400 vacuum actually worth it?The Shopping Forecast is a podcast about why we buy what we buy — and what our shopping habits reveal about us.To hear more from us follow The Shopping Forecast! Get in touch with us at  [email protected]: Subscribe to our channel The Shopping Forecast to watch the video version https://www.youtube.com/@TheShoppingForecastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshoppingforecast/Find Elizabeth:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/Website: https://www.elizabethstiles.co.uk/Podcast: The Fashion Brand Clinic https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-fashion-brand-clinic-podcast/id1456543176Find Catherine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientretailclubWebsite: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/Podcast: The Resilient Retail Game Plan https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast/

Weight loss drugs are everywhere, but their impact could be affecting our shopping habits too. From clothing sizes and restaurant menus to beauty treatments and tailoring, a major shift in our bodies could mean a major shift in what we buy.In this episode of The Shopping Forecast, Catherine and Elizabeth get into the surprisingly complicated relationship between weight loss drugs and retail. Are shoppers buying more clothes because they feel more confident, or less because they don't know what size they'll be next? Will retailers have to rethink their traditional size curves? And could the rise of GLP-1s accelerate the demand for flexible, adjustable and more forgiving clothing? And how much control do we actually have over what we buy?From holiday souvenirs and the music playing in a shop to price anchoring, scent, storytelling and the fantasy of our ‘future selves’, Catherine and Elizabeth reveal just how easily our surroundings can influence our spending, and why the person you're shopping for might not always be you.Plus: Zendaya's Odyssey wardrobe, the rewards programmes that are actually worth it, cigarettes making an unwelcome comeback in fashion branding, phones that seem designed to die, expensive sandals, impulse purchases and the surprisingly compelling world of mulch.The Shopping Forecast is a podcast about why we buy what we buy — and what our shopping habits reveal about us.To hear more from us follow The Shopping Forecast! Get in touch with us at  [email protected]: Subscribe to our channel The Shopping Forecast to watch the video version https://www.youtube.com/@TheShoppingForecastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshoppingforecast/Find Elizabeth:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/Website: https://www.elizabethstiles.co.uk/Podcast: The Fashion Brand Clinic https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-fashion-brand-clinic-podcast/id1456543176Catherine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientretailclubWebsite: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/Podcast: The Resilient Retail Game Plan https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast/

Online shopping is booming, but physical stores are far from dead. So why are brands that started online investing in bricks-and-mortar stores, and what does the rise of Gen Z shopping in-store tell us about the future of retail?In this episode of The Shopping Forecast, Catherine and Elizabeth explore why shoppers no longer think in terms of “online” and “offline”, but simply want to shop wherever is most convenient. From M&S and Lucy & Yak to the growing importance of physical stores as a “shoppable billboard”, they unpack how stores can drive online sales, build brand awareness and create a stronger connection with customers.They also dive into the psychology of queues, using the launch of Skims’ London store to explore why Gen Z is embracing in-person shopping, delayed gratification and retail experiences. From free gifts and social connection to creating a sense of exclusivity and demand, they reveal why sometimes the queue itself can become part of the product.Plus, they discuss Primark’s cheeky Skims response, the rapid expansion of Søstrene Grene, Olivia Attwood’s marketing power, oversized packaging, confusing vintage sizing and the things that are getting firmly put in the bin.The Shopping Forecast is a podcast that proves shopping is about so much more than what’s in your basket.To hear more from us follow The Shopping Forecast! Get in touch with us at  [email protected]: Subscribe to our channel The Shopping Forecast to watch the video version https://www.youtube.com/@TheShoppingForecastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshoppingforecast/Find Elizabeth:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/Website: https://www.elizabethstiles.co.uk/Podcast: The Fashion Brand Clinic https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-fashion-brand-clinic-podcast/id1456543176Catherine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientretailclubWebsite: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/Podcast: The Resilient Retail Game Plan https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast/

With AI-generated ghost stores on the rise, shoppers are entering a new era of consumer distrust. So why do supermarkets tempt us into buying more than we planned? And how can you tell a genuine online store from an AI-powered fake?In this episode of The Shopping Forecast, Catherine and Elizabeth go behind the scenes of the supermarket, lifting the lid on the clever tricks retailers use to influence what you purchase and the psychology behind store design. From why shops want you to turn right when you walk through the door to the science behind checkout impulse buys, they explore the subtle strategies designed to keep customers browsing and spending for longer.They also unpack the growing mistrust in online shopping as AI-generated websites and fake online stores become increasingly sophisticated. With "ghost stores" on the rise, Catherine and Elizabeth explore why consumers are researching brands more than ever before, what retailers can do to build trust, and why showing the real people behind a business has become essential in the age of AI.The Shopping Forecast is a podcast that proves shopping is about so much more than what’s in your basket.To hear more from us follow The Shopping Forecast! Youtube: Subscribe to our channel The Shopping Forecast to watch the video version https://www.youtube.com/@TheShoppingForecastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshoppingforecast/Find Elizabeth:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/Website: https://www.elizabethstiles.co.uk/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-fashion-brand-clinic-podcast/id1456543176Find Catherine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientretailclubWebsite: https://www.resilientretailclub.comPodcast: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast/