Retail is changing faster than the boardroom can keep up – and it is not tech that is lagging, it is empathy – was the warning from consumer expert and business adviser Kate Hardcastle MBE, during a retail panel discussion for the UK North launch of her new book, The Science of Shopping.
Kate challenged brands to stop chasing short-term gains and start rebuilding trust with emotionally intelligent leadership, highlighting that, in the race for innovation, many brands are forgetting the very thing that drives consumer loyalty – emotional connection.
“We’ve become obsessed with dashboards and data, but forgotten just how human shopping is. It’s still emotional. It’s always been emotional”, said Kate, who addressed an audience including guest panellists Richard Pownall (CEO of Pooky Lights), Jan Duckworth (MD at Cox & Cox), Sarah Bianchi (CEO of Arighi Bianchi) and retail accessibility champion Hannah Cockroft (nine‑time Paralympic gold medallist).
There were also questions posed by business leaders from Trendsetter (The Fine Bedding Company) and Silentnight, attending the event held at retail destination Arighi Bianchi in Cheshire.
Kate argued that the brands who succeed next will not be the ones with the flashiest tools – but the ones which use technology to enhance human connection, not replace it.
“You’ve got to merge your data with your emotional intelligence. Build with your customers, not just sell to them. If you want to create legacy and long-term value, you have to care about how people feel”, she explained.
She also highlighted how the ongoing rise of 'retail-tainment' is changing expectations: “Consumers don’t have to visit shops anymore – they must want to. That means brands have to offer more than convenience. They must deliver experience. That’s why environment matters so much. The smell, the theatre, the emotion – sensory storytelling is paramount.”
This point is echoed by Arighi Bianchi CEO Sarah Bianchi, who is striving to shape the future of her family’s 170-year-old retail business with this strategy front and centre. Sarah believes that retail-tainment is about merging culture, tech, and human behaviour into something meaningful, and advocates building the emotional bridge between brand and customer, and designing experiences, not just environments, for the long-term, even if the results are not instant.
Sarah also emphasises the importance of creating brands people feel proud to buy from, and work for, which she highlights as a pivotal reason Arighi Bianchi is still performing well after 17 decades.
A final point highlight by Kate Hardcastle was about the rising use of dynamic pricing and how a lack of transparency can erode trust. “Consumers understand that businesses need to make a profit. But they want fairness. If pricing feels sneaky, you’ve lost them,” she said.
From supermarkets changing prices based on the weather to online platforms using real-time algorithms, pricing technology is evolving fast, she said, but but many consumers are not being brought along for the ride. Vulnerable groups, including the elderly, are especially at risk of being left behind. Her advice is to not hide the tech, but to educate consumers – and do not lose the human touch, but enhance it and build a workforce that takes pride in delivering experience, not just service.
“This isn’t about warm fuzzies," she concluded. "It’s about building businesses that actually work – financially, operationally and emotionally. That’s what creates value. That’s what earns loyalty. And it’s damn hard work.”
