The Retail Institute, FIA’s Academic and Research Partner, has published the Summer edition of its Retail Review. 

The latest issue of the magazine features articles on the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), copycat branding and supermarket approaches to the environmental mantra ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’. 

Dr Jamie Marsden & Ezgi Oguz, from the University of Leeds, have written an update to their research on copycat branding in online channels. Their work investigated the differences in the packaging presentation between leader brands and copycat brands on online shopping platforms. 

In the Special Feature, you will find an update on the DRS. For many of you, this is an important subject that will affect your operations and costs. The scheme, due to be pioneered in Scotland, is experiencing further delays, and Dr Ben Mitchell explores the reasons for that, and concerns raised by the industry. His research involved interviews with British Glass and brand representatives who raise interesting points and share thoughts on the future effectiveness of the DRS system. 

The Guest Article was prepared by Abigail Baldwin from Buttercrumble, where she explores the role of labels in marketing communications. 

Last but not least, digital expert Dr Alan Shaw explores the theme of Google Analytics 4, and how your company can utilise your website data to track plenty of important metrics, such as user engagement, bounce rates, or conversion rates.