As we reflect on the past year and look ahead to what’s next, one thing is clear: 2025 has been a powerful year of progress, learning, and alignment across Acosta Europe. We asked colleagues from across Acosta Europe to share their reflections on 2025 and their priorities for 2026. What follows is what our colleagues have to say, a collective view from across our businesses, services, and specialist teams.
Their insights point to a powerful year of progress, learning, and alignment. From innovation in e-commerce and supply chain transformation, to in-store execution, sustainability, and investment in our people, 2025 has been about strengthening foundations and evolving how we create value for clients.
Across every response, common themes emerge: collaboration, smarter and more connected ways of working, and a clear focus on delivering impact where it matters most. As we move into 2026, that shared reflection becomes action. With the combined strength of Acosta Europe and our leading brands, we’re ready to build on this momentum and deliver bigger wins for our clients across every channel, every touchpoint, and every market.
Andy Buck (Managing Director, Reach):
2025 Highlights
As I look back on 2025, I feel incredibly positive about the progress we’ve made in transforming our business. The further integration of Dee Set and Reach under the Acosta Europe banner has been a huge step forward. It’s allowed us to deliver levels of innovation, insight, and new services to our clients like never before, all helping them to ‘sell more, for less.’ That’s something I’m really proud of.
2026 Focus
Looking ahead to 2026, I know the challenges aren’t going away. Rising costs and an ever-changing shopper landscape mean we have to stay sharp. That’s why my focus is on continuing to innovate and transform the field sales arena. By working with our best-in-class partners, I’m confident we can deliver even greater, game-changing solutions for our clients next year.”
Joe Peers, Head of Ecommerce at Dee Set:
2025 has been a pivotal year for e-commerce, with brands accelerating online strategies to meet rising consumer expectations. Global e-commerce is forecast to reach nearly $8 trillion by 2027, and new marketplaces like Tesco’s Marketplace alongside the rapid growth of social commerce, already surpassing $1.1 trillion globally in 2024, are reshaping the retail landscape. This fragmentation creates complexity: online fulfilment demands precision, advanced technology, and flexibility that traditional brand-owned warehouses often lack.
As a result, outsourcing fulfilment to specialist partners will become a strategic priority for brands seeking scalability without operational risk. Our integrated order fulfilment solutions are designed to meet these challenges, offering small-order pick and pack, real-time inventory visibility, and seamless connectivity across marketplaces and social platforms.
Looking ahead to 2026, marketing teams will increasingly focus on their digital shelf, optimising product content, availability, and pricing to win share-of-search and conversion. With digital shelf analytics projected to become a critical battleground for brand success. We provide services to support brands in achieving excellence at the digital shelf edge, ensuring they remain visible, competitive, and agile in an omnichannel world.
Neil Latham, Imports Manager at Dee Set:
2025 was a year of momentum and innovation.
We welcomed our new Business Development Manager (Neal) to our product team, bringing fresh energy to buyer engagement and introducing dynamic sales tools like our popular Suitcase Sample Boxes. We connected with 64 potential customers, opening exciting conversations for future growth.
Behind the scenes, we streamlined sourcing, supply chain, and technical services, boosting manufacturing efficiency. Our Haber range launched in Tesco Ireland, while NPD expanded into bold new categories, including umbrellas and electronic lighters. Meanwhile, our NIFTi Pet range hit record-breaking volumes, reinforcing its position as a customer favourite.
2026 promises even more.
We’ll continue growing our department, enhancing existing ranges, and exploring our tailored sourcing solutions offering. Expect a broader Haber range, innovative buyer boxes, and retail trials evolving into full-scale rollouts. Our NPD pipeline will explore fresh categories, while the Travels range undergoes a strategic rebrand for 2027.
Amie Morrey (Head of Supply Chain, Dee Set) and Rich Plant (Head of Operations, Dee Set):
2025 Highlights
This year, we delivered outstanding results for our partners. We helped a major retailer reduce shrink by 40% on SKUs we reworked, supported existing customers as they expanded into new retailers, and built and filled over 30,000 FSDUs. These displays enhanced supplier visibility, drove incremental sales, and supported promotional activity, creating real value across the board.
2026 Focus
Looking ahead, our priority is a digital transformation within supply chain operations. We’re committed to leveraging technology to improve efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness through data-led decisions. Alongside this, we’ll focus on helping brands accelerate growth in the e-commerce space, ensuring they can thrive in an increasingly digital retail landscape.
Lance Preston (Senior Business Unit Controller at Tactical Solutions):
I have the privilege of leading the ISS (In-Store Sales) team at Tactical Solutions, and over the years, we’ve seen exceptional growth in both revenue and team scale. In 2025, we supported more than 100 brands across multiple retailers, navigating the complexity that brings while continuing to demonstrate our value in stores, for our clients, and for ourselves. Our TSMs and Management Team, working in partnership with Central Functions and our Client Team, have delivered at pace, driving efficiencies, adapting to new ways of working, and achieving record revenue weeks with minimal disruption.
As we look ahead, 2026 is set to be our biggest year yet. We anticipate partnering with even more exciting brands, expanding our in-store presence, and strengthening our team further. Our topline goals remain clear: to delight our customers, to deliver consistent, high-quality execution, and to make a meaningful difference in every call. With our momentum, our capability, and our passion, the year ahead offers huge opportunity, and we’re ready to seize it
Anne Unsworth (Head of Retail Operations Projects at Tactical Solutions):
One of the standout moments was winning the Best First-Year Impact award at the 2025 Impact Awards for Tactical Solutions’ community sustainability efforts. Since launching, the team has planted over 12,000 trees, offset 208 metric tonnes of CO₂, and logged more than 21,000 volunteering hours on everyday sustainable tasks through the On-Hand app.
Another major milestone was the introduction of a dedicated ESG Lead in June 2025, laying the foundation for stronger governance across the group. This move ensures that Environmental, Social, and Governance principles are embedded consistently across Dee Set, Reach, and Tactical Solutions.
Finally, our progress toward Net Zero alignment, with the group committing to a clear pathway that will shape all future operational and technology initiatives through a low-carbon lens.
2026 Focus Areas
Looking ahead, we’re focused on scaling sustainability initiatives to include the wider group and continuing to strengthen ESG governance through a newly established ESG Committee. This will ensure compliance and measurable performance across all businesses.
Key priorities for 2026 include:
Trudy Church (Head of People – Strategy , Acosta Europe):
I joined the team in late July and was asked to help take two major projects over the line: our new HR and payroll system, and the applicant-tracking system. Both went live in November. I’m genuinely grateful my Peers and to my colleagues across HR, Finance and IT in Dee Set and Reach who supported me, filled in the gaps in my context, and kept things moving through some tough moments.
This year also saw us work more closely as a wider Group, sharing skills and experience rather than duplicating effort. We successfully trialled the US Leadership Rotation Programme and the Managing Essentials Programme, and several of our leaders are now progressing through the Exec Programme. Watch out for opportunities to attend these programmes in 2026.
In 2026 we’ll build on this by bringing our learning platforms, goal-setting tools and performance tracking into a more joined-up framework. Any new initiatives will be designed for the whole UK business from the outset. The HR team will continue to explore how AI and automation can take some of the admin off our desks, improve accuracy, and free us to spend more time on the conversations that really matter.
Mark Ackland-Snow (Business Unit Director, Acosta Europe):
In 2025, our focus was on retaining clients and enhancing their service propositions through the innovative models and tools introduced as part of the expanded Acosta Europe group. We delivered outstanding results, helping our clients achieve more while spending less.
Looking ahead, 2026 is all about growth, demonstrating to both new and existing clients the value we can create across every channel. Our goal is to drive household penetration for their brands, whether through our cutting-edge D2C/D2B solutions or our dedicated brand ambassador teams.
We are positioning ourselves as the ultimate end-to-end partner for brands seeking growth through flawless consumer execution. This year, we’ll continue to showcase Sales Force of the Future from Acosta Europe to new clients, ensuring more brands sell more in the most efficient way possible.
2026 is set to be an exciting year as we unleash the full power of the Acosta Group.
Kate Bradshaw (Head of Business Unit, Acosta Europe):
For 2026, we’re opening the door wider and giving more people than ever before the chance to take part in our annual recognition event - Spotlights.
We’re celebrating our people, our progress, and the teams that make us unstoppable. This is about spotlighting talent from every part of our organisation and recognising the individuals who push us forward every day.
In 2026 the event will be open to all our Acosta Europe colleagues - welcoming Dee Set & Tactical Solutions for the first time. Furthermore, we are expanding the guest list, not only creating a bigger event but also allowing our finalists to be surrounded by more of THEIR peers to support and cheer them through the process.
Spotlights 2026 will be the place to be, and those who get involved by supporting, nominating and applying will all be in with a chance of being there this year!
Joint HR (Sarah Jones, Dee Set and Trudy, Acosta Europe):
2025: A Year of Progress
This year we’ve made real headway in bringing our core people systems together. HR, payroll and recruitment now sit in one integrated set-up, which means fewer manual steps and better visibility for everyone. It’s not glamorous work, but it makes a big difference day to day.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Next year we’ll take another big step with a single platform for goal setting and performance tracking. That will give us a clearer line of sight on progress and development across the business. We’ll also be focusing on job architecture in the UK, getting consistency in roles and career paths so people can move and grow more easily. It’s about making internal mobility a reality, not just a buzzword.
What’s on the Horizon for HR
Across the wider HR world, expect more emphasis on skills-based frameworks, ethical use of AI, and a sharper focus on employee wellbeing. These aren’t trends for the sake of it, they’re practical shifts that will shape how we attract, develop and retain talent.
Looking ahead, the energy across Acosta Europe is unmistakable. The reflections shared here demonstrate a business that has learned, adapted, and strengthened throughout 2025, and is now poised to turn those learnings into meaningful action in 2026.
Whether it’s accelerating digital transformation, enhancing in-store execution, expanding e-commerce capabilities, embedding sustainability, or investing in our people, we enter the year ahead with confidence and ambition. Most importantly, we do so together, united by a shared purpose and a belief in the value we can create for our clients.
If your business aligns with these priorities in 2026, we’d love to talk. With the combined strength of Acosta Europe and our leading brands, we help clients navigate complexity, unlock growth, and deliver measurable impact across every channel.
Get in touch to discover what bigger wins could look like for your business.
After a high-pressure seasonal trading period, retailers often face a new set of Q1 retail challenges. While demand hasn’t disappeared, customer behaviour shifts significantly once gifting peaks, deliveries have been finalised, and last-minute purchases fade. Spending becomes more selective, operational pressure increases, and teams must adapt quickly to maintain momentum.
The post-holiday period highlights these retail challenges. People pause spending and evaluate budgets, but the period also provides valuable commercial, operational and marketing advantages, especially for those who approach it strategically.
Key Q1 retail challenges include:
Understanding these challenges and how to overcome them is essential for maintaining performance throughout the first quarter.
After the holiday rush, retailers face key challenges. Here is how Dee Set can help you overcome them.
Returns spike immediately after the holidays, with billions of pounds’ worth of product re-entering the supply chain within days. This sudden volume strains warehouses and customer service, often hiding the true performance of Q4 and creating administrative backlogs.
Yet returns offer valuable insights. Reasons like size issues, unclear colour, packaging dissatisfaction, or misleading photography reveal product flaws more accurately than surveys or forecasts. Retailers who track these insights refine product copy, fix recurring issues, and cut repeat returns. A simple change in sizing descriptions can prevent tens of thousands of unnecessary returns in the next cycle.
The returns experience also shapes future purchases. Transparent, consistent, and fast processes increase repeat buying. Offering store credit, alternatives, or improved versions keeps spending within the brand rather than losing it.
AI is now helping retailers tackle returns faster and at scale. By analysing reason codes, purchase histories, and sizing preferences in real time, AI can flag likely returns before stock is fully distributed. It also enhances product pages with clearer sizing guidance, accurate colours, and fit notes. Some retailers even use AI at checkout to suggest alternative sizes or similar products, reducing returns before orders are placed.
At Dee Set, we help you manage post-peak returns efficiently, turning what can feel like a logistical challenge into a smooth process. Our field teams support your stores by handling returned products and ensuring planogram compliance and shelf standards are maintained. Using our data capture and reporting tools, we give you clear insights into return trends so you can act quickly and maintain a seamless customer experience.
Stock built to serve high-tempo gifting patterns frequently remains on shelves or in warehouses. Seasonal packaging, promotional bundles and late-selling winter lines can add to this. Storage costs rise, the stock ages, and heavy discounting becomes the default reaction. However, stock that appears seasonal can often be repositioned. Winter clothing, for instance, can serve transitional needs rather than being labelled as clearance. Home or gifting products can shift into “organisation,” “replenishment,” or “early spring refresh” themes.
Retailers benefit most when they avoid broad markdowns and instead apply smaller, well-targeted adjustments that match customer context. This might involve assigning inventory to controlled channels, creating planned events such as small clearance drops or attaching slow-moving inventory to more active categories. Done early and with intention, this prevents deep discount dependency later in Q1.
At Dee Set, we make sure your surplus stock works for you. Our teams optimise product placement, check planogram compliance, and carry out in-store merchandising so inventory is presented in the best possible way. With our reporting, you’ll have full visibility of stock levels, helping you move products efficiently while protecting your margins.
Once the festivities disappear, customers still browse and engage, but are more selective. This period often sees higher rates of research rather than immediate purchase, which means conversion slows even though digital activity remains strong.
Re-engagement works well here. Customers acquired during peak season are still familiar with the brand, and small prompts often convert them. Examples include recommendations linked to recent purchases, replenishment reminders, loyalty earn-outs or follow-ups based on abandoned baskets. Messaging also benefits from shifting away from urgency-based selling into more practical positioning. Customers tend to respond well to products that improve everyday routines, support personal goals or replace items they received but want a better version of.
At Dee Set, even when trading slows, we help keep your products visible and accessible. Our teams carry out planogram checks, shelf merchandising, and stock optimisation so popular items are easy to find. We provide clear, data-driven reporting to highlight areas needing attention, helping you maintain in-store performance and convert browsers into buyers.
Seasonal labour reduces rapidly, leaving core staff to manage returns, merchandising resets and new-season transitions. Stores also face gaps in compliance, layout changes and stock presentation as seasonal ranges are phased out. This period is often the most effective time to execute changes that are difficult during peak trading. Shelf and display resets, early-spring planogram rollouts, standards checks and local sales optimisation thrive during quieter footfall periods. Extended field support can close execution gaps quickly and give stores a stronger starting point for spring launches.
At Dee Set, after seasonal staff reductions, we step in to fill the gaps. Our field teams carry out shelf resets, planogram rollouts, and in-store compliance checks, ensuring your stores maintain standards, layouts stay optimised, and you’re ready for the new season.
Q4 creates a lag effect on financial performance. Advertising spend, recruitment and stock commitments settle into January’s lower revenue levels, and this can slow decision-making for new initiatives. Instead of postponing development, many retailers shift towards stabilising income. Rather than pausing activity, many use this time to make revenue more consistent. Encouraging early gift-card use, promoting subscription or auto-replenishment options, and offering loyalty rewards can help steady cash flow.
Gift-card redemption is especially useful because customers often spend above the value of the card itself. When the redemption process is straightforward and appealing, it tends to increase basket size and bring customers back into active purchasing.
At Dee Set, we help you keep in-store operations running smoothly during slower periods. From stocking products to maintaining displays and compliance, our teams ensure your stores are ready for customers. Our reporting tools provide visibility where it’s needed, helping you manage stock and operational priorities to keep performance consistent.
Dee Set supports retailers through this post-holiday period by:
If you're ready to strengthen execution during this period, we’ll help you turn the post-holiday slowdown into a strong start to the year. Get in touch today.
With the strength of Acosta Europe behind us, we’re positioned to deliver bigger wins for your business. Let’s explore what that could look like for you.
The first quarter of 2026 is the perfect time to hit the reset button and give your retail strategy and marketing plans a fresh start. After a busy holiday season, it’s the ideal moment to take a step back, see what worked and what didn't, and use those insights to shape your strategy for the year ahead.
Get it right in Q1, and you’re not just starting the year off well, you’re setting the tone for a year full of growth and long-term success.
During Q1, shoppers are more willing to try new things, whether that means taking part in Dry January, giving Veganuary a go, or jumping on the latest wellness trends. The start of the year is also a great chance to take a step back and tweak your strategy, taking a look at what worked last year, spotting new opportunities, and turning those insights into actions that will make a difference. Do this and you will head into 2026 in a much stronger position, ready to boost sales and stay ahead of the competition.
The UK retail world doesn't leave much room for mistakes. With rising costs, unpredictable shopping habits, and trends quickly changing, you need to make sure you are making smart, quick decisions.
Here is how you can set up your retail strategy for a successful year ahead:
Before launching new initiatives, make sure to take the time to review last year’s performance. Look at what resonated with your audience and where engagement might have fallen short. For example, January usually presents spike in post-holiday returns which can put pressure on logistics and affected profitability. Retailers who respond with clearer sizing guides, extended returns windows, and improved reverse logistics may able to reduce costs while keeping customer satisfaction high.
At Dee Set, we take these insights and turn them into action. By analysing retail data and past performance, we help optimise promotions, highlight high-performing SKUs, and guide stock allocation so your inventory is in the right place at the right time. This means you can start Q1 with a strategy grounded in real performance results and avoid repeating previous challenges.
January is a time for fresh starts and self-improvement, making it the perfect time to shape your campaigns around popular New Year themes such as goal-setting, budgeting, and wellness. During the start of the year, consumer interest in mindful living, healthy routines, and Dry January peaks, creating the perfect opportunity to connect your brand with the behaviours people are most focused on
At Dee Set, we help you turn these trends into action while using data to help guide decisions. By keeping an eye on search trends and retail performance, we can spot the categories performing best in Q1, whether that is health-focused grocery, fitness, supplements, or non-alcoholic drinks.
Our team also makes sure your Q1 campaigns are executed across every touchpoint, from in-store activations and merchandising to omnichannel fulfilment and retail analytics. This approach means your campaigns reach the right people, your inventory is in the right place, and every display performs at its very best.
Physical stores are still one of the most important ways to drive sales and connect with your customers, especially in Q1 when people are motivated by resolutions, wellness trends, and new routines. Making sure every store is ready for your campaigns can be the difference between a promotion that really works and one that misses the mark.
At Dee Set, we help bring campaigns to life on the ground. Our field marketing and merchandising teams set up in-store activations, create eye-catching point-of-sale displays, and check planogram compliance to make sure products are presented exactly as you intended.
Q1 is the perfect time to experiment. With consumer behaviours shifting after the holidays, running small-scale tests early in the year gives you a chance to see what resonates with your consumers before committing to bigger campaigns later on. Whether it’s trying out new promotions or product placements, these experiments provide valuable insights that can help you optimise your strategy for the rest of the year.
At Dee Set, we make testing more accessible and actionable. Our field teams can deploy campaigns in selected stores or regions while our data tools monitor performance metrics, from display compliance and visibility to stock movement. You will be able to see early indicators of what is working and what is not, giving you the insights to adjust campaigns, optimise any underperforming elements, and continuously improve your results throughout Q1 and the rest of the year.
If you want to kick off 2026 strong and make sure you are making the most of every Q1 opportunity, Dee Set is here to help. We specialise in field marketing execution, retail auditing, POS optimisation, and data-led activation, giving you everything you need to turn insights into action.
Dee Set can help you:
Get in touch and let us help execute your most successful Q1 yet, setting your brand up for a strong and profitable year ahead.
The busiest shopping season is almost here, and with Black Friday just around the corner, now is the time to get your field marketing strategy locked in. Recent figures show total till sales growth has risen to +4.1%, up from +3.7% the previous month, as shoppers begin to plan their year-end spending. While consumer behaviour is settling back into a more normal rhythm post-summer, inflation and rising costs mean customers are more alert than ever to value-driven deals, discounts, and promotions.
Black Friday has evolved into one of the biggest retail moments of the year. In today’s economic climate, many consumers see it as a chance to stretch their budgets, secure bargains before Christmas, and discover promotions that offer both savings and novelty.
In this blog, we share 5 practical Black Friday marketing tips to help you stand out, capture spend, and convert browsing into buying, to make it your most successful Black Friday yet.
Black Friday offers huge opportunities, but it also brings its own set of challenges, from price pressure and stock management to overwhelming competition and shopper fatigue.
Here are the key ones to watch out for:
With some clever thought and planning, you can overcome these challenges for a successful Black Friday.
Don’t leave your strategy to the last minute. Map out your promotions, signage, retail merchandising deployment, staffing and logistics early. Plan for challenges in supply or display build-outs and build in buffer time to avoid stockouts and execution gaps.
At Dee Set, we work with you to map out every stage of your Black Friday activity, from promotion planning to merchandising rollouts. Our team helps anticipate potential supply or display challenges and provides practical solutions to ensure smooth execution across all stores.
Review your analytics to see what worked (and what didn’t) last year. Which SKUs sold best? Which promotions got the highest uptake? Which stores had inventory issues or missed merchandising deadlines? Use this insight to forecast demand, set realistic sales goals and allocate stock more intelligently, helping you meet demand while protecting margins in the face of inflation-driven price sensitivity.
At Dee Set, we transform retail data into actionable insights, highlighting high-performing SKUs, optimising promotions, and guiding stock allocation to ensure inventory is in the right place at the right time. Using tools like Reapp Insight and Recognise, we combine advanced analytics with human expertise to help you make informed decisions and boost performance.
Many consumers are spreading their spending earlier, looking for deals well in advance of the main Black Friday day. Introduce early offers, whether a sneak-peek for loyalty card holders or mid-October promotions, to lock in spend early and get ahead of the competition.
At Dee Set, we can analyse past sales patterns to identify which products and offers resonate most with early-bird shoppers. We help you plan targeted early promotions and ensure visibility in stores so you capture sales before competitors do.
During high demand, it’s easy for stockouts, misplaced POS or poor display setups to erode sales. Having a field marketing team carry out regular retail audits is essential to keep execution strong. Our field marketing team ensure POS is placed correctly, shelves are fully stocked, displays are clean, visible and working as intended. This prevents in-store execution gaps from costing you sales.
At Dee Set, we have dedicated field marketing teams to audit stores, check POS and displays, and address gaps in real time. We ensure your Black Friday campaigns are executed consistently across every store to protect revenue and maximise shopper impact.
[Insert video: Dee Set Support Asda Black Friday 2024]
Make the shopping path obvious by ensuring entrances, main aisles and point-of-sale displays guide shoppers to your key deals. Use strong, clear signage to highlight discounts, bundle offers and urgency such as ‘limited stock’ or ‘ends midnight’ to cut through fierce competition. In-store experiences like engaging displays can boost engagement and convert browsers into buyers, even when price sensitivity is high.
Black Friday provides you with the rare opportunity to set the tone for the rest of Q4. If you combine thorough planning, on-the-ground execution, visible promotions, and strong shopper experience, you won’t just survive the season; you can lead it.
At Dee Set, we advise on shopper flow, signage placement, and in-store experiences to optimise the customer journey. We ensure displays and messaging are visible and compelling, helping turn browsers into buyers while supporting your key promotions.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or want to ensure you’re maximising every opportunity, this Black Friday, we’re here to help. At Dee Set, we specialise in field marketing execution, retail auditing, POS optimisation, and data-led activation.
Let’s partner to:
Get in touch today, and let’s plan your most successful Black Friday yet, to make Q4 2025 the strongest retail finish you’ve ever had.
Halloween in the UK has transformed into far more than costumes and candy, it’s a anticipated retail event with so much opportunity. With consumer enthusiasm rising and tactical field marketing becoming ever more important, brands that lean on insight and execution stand to gain more than just a short-term boost, they set themselves up for key Q4 momentum (leading into Black Friday and Christmas).
According to a recent YouGov poll, 57% of British adults who celebrate Halloween make their plans just a week in advance, signalling the “last-minute” nature of this window. Meanwhile, consumer spending is modest, with 55% spending less than £25 on Halloween last year (YouGov). From a market size perspective, one source estimates UK Halloween spending will reach £779 million in 2025 (finder.com). Though alternative forecasts cite slightly different numbers, the take-away is clear: this is a sizeable, time-sensitive opportunity.
For Dee Set, this means: get your field-marketing infrastructure ready, fast. Visibility, availability and value must align to capture the spend during this compressed window.
More than half of Halloween shoppers indicate that their planning period is very short. From a field-marketing standpoint, that elevates in-store readiness and rapid deployment of merchandising assets. A display set up late September or early October may already be late.
While the total market is large, many consumers are watching their wallets. The YouGov numbers show a majority spending under £25. Another forecast reveals that growth this year is projected at just 3.2% in the UK, reaching £537 million, slower than prior years and reflective of inflation and weaker consumer sentiment. The implication: promotions, value messaging, and multi-buy bundles will resonate stronger than premium-only plays.
DIY costumes, second-hand pieces and online shopping are on the rise. For example, 42% say they’ll make their costume themselves and 47% will buy online. For field marketing teams, this means the physical store space must earn its keep: bold visuals, strong POS, easy availability. The online channel may capture the browse, but in-store execution will capture the impulse.
Halloween isn't just sweets and pumpkins, it extends into snacks, drinks, home décor, beauty and even apparel. Distinctive execution here provides the “early Q4 lead” many marketers crave. In other words: if you get Halloween right, you build the bridge into Christmas.
Create visual theatre. End-of-aisle displays, checkout towers, seasonal merchandising islands, all should scream Halloween. Field teams should ensure compliance in store, check planogram fidelity, and reinforce the theme early (mid-October or earlier).
A brilliant display is useless if stock is trailing or missing. Field teams must monitor stock levels in real-time, report gaps, and ensure replenishment is swift. For seasonal lines, this means starting early and forecasting for the spike period rather than reacting.
Because many shoppers are price-sensitive this season, brands that combine novelty with savings will perform best. Multi-packs, bundles, early-bird offers (mid-October) and loyalty incentives are effective. But they only work if field teams ensure signage, placement and promotional execution are consistent in-store.
Given the last-minute nature of shopper behaviour, timing is everything. Aim to have core display, stock and promotions live before the wave hits (often mid-October) so you’re capturing early spend and not reacting when the shelf-space is already saturated.
Halloween is effectively the opening act for Q4. Get it right and you carry momentum into Black Friday and Christmas. Fail to act and you risk playing catch-up when the spending frenzy is already underway. Field marketing is no longer “nice to have” for Halloween, it’s a strategic lever.
At Dee Set, we combine field execution, data monitoring and retail insight to give brands the edge. Whether it's Halloween or the festive rush to come, the brands that win are those that execute early, execute well, and connect emotionally with the shopper.
Ready to move from planning to performance? Get in touch with our team today. Let’s build a seasonal strategy that delivers through to year-end.
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It’s clear that we’re on the brink of another upheaval—this time led by artificial intelligence. Dubbed the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution,’ AI is already reshaping industries with tools like voice assistants and data-driven decision-making. Its potential feels limitless, hinting at a future rich with innovation.
But here’s the catch: how many businesses are actually reaping the benefits of AI? According to Forbes, only 5.4% of companies are leveraging it effectively. The real challenge lies not just in adopting AI but in identifying use cases that deliver meaningful results.
Joe Peers, our Senior Head of eCommerce, states, “In the race to adopt AI, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. But businesses shouldn't implement AI just to check a box. The real value lies in identifying impactful use cases that solve specific challenges or unlock new opportunities. Whether it's improving customer experiences, optimising operations, or driving innovation, AI should be a tool for strategic transformation—not a trend to follow. Start with the problem, not the technology, and let the use case guide your AI journey.”
At Dee Set, our mission is clear: leverage AI to enhance human work, drive real outcomes, and make every minute count. This has been central to our 2024 strategy, delivering stellar results for our clients. By doubling down on innovation, we’re poised to redefine excellence and efficiency across industries.
Exploring How AI Can Maximise Productivity and Purpose in Every Role
With a robust team of 3,500+ colleagues, Dee Set thrives by prioritising people. We ensure every individual shines by amplifying their strengths while fostering personal growth. Time is valuable, and our focus is on high-impact tasks that bring purpose and productivity to every role.
Fast-paced industries like retail pose unique productivity challenges. In 2024, explosive demand for point-of-sales (POS) materials tested our limits. To meet this challenge, we emphasised training and coaching while leveraging AI to streamline operations and deliver unparalleled results.
Addressing the Business Challenge: How AI Helped Us Scale
Faced with growing demand for POS merchandising, we needed a solution to maintain quality, gather actionable data, and scale operations. Our traditional QA methods consumed 12 hours weekly per retailer, most of which was spent on redundant checks.
Enter AI. By adopting a tailored QA solution, we automated repetitive tasks and empowered our teams to focus on strategic decisions. Our AI analyses images submitted via the Reapp Perform app, comparing them against reference setups to ensure compliance. The impact? QC time slashed from 12 hours to 3, with 75% of images requiring no human review. This breakthrough enables our QA team to focus on tasks that add value.
Built by Senior Data Scientist Dr. Zhanna Mileeva using Microsoft Azure, this end-to-end solution has revolutionised our operations. Zhanna states: “The advantage of implementing this AI solution to streamline our operations is remarkable. By equipping our colleagues with the right tool, we have enabled them to effectively do 4 times more than they could do before. It also unlocked a proactive response to any emerging challenges while the job is still live, thus, contributing to a strong culture and excellent service of unparalleled quality. From a business perspective this is a perfect example of human and machine collaboration with tangible results internally as well as for our clients. So, it is a win-win for everyone”.
Zhanna continues: “We have adhered to the best practices and ensured utilisation of the latest technological advancements on Azure platform by staying in close contact with Microsoft. The development of a POC project was rapid. Low cost, reliability and quick deployment make this solution a gate opener for new business opportunities. Following the evaluation of its success we are now trialling a scaled up version. With aims to increase the processing capacity exponentially, we’re keen to see what the future holds for this clever piece of tech!”.
The Results: AI as a Game Changer in Quality Assurance
AI has transformed our QA processes, enabling our team to focus on personalised coaching, top-performer recognition, and operational excellence. By seamlessly integrating human intelligence and cutting-edge AI, we’ve scaled operations while cutting costs—a win-win for Dee Set and our clients.
In Conclusion: Beyond the Hype, AI Delivers Value Where It Matters
We expect that the hype around AI will continue for a while. Whilst many businesses will be excited about the ‘newness’ of this technology, here at Dee Set we’re focused on how we can utilise it when it comes to making it work in practical, meaningful ways that can benefit our employees. The business challenge we faced with scaling POS operations wasn’t solved by just adopting AI—it was about finding the right AI solution and ecosystem architecture to support our teams and enhance the quality of work we deliver to our clients.
As businesses explore the potential of AI, the key is to cut through the noise and focus on solutions that truly drive value, improve productivity, and empower people. For us, the journey has just begun—and we’re excited about where AI will take us next.
Want to get involved with our powerful AI tech? Just get in touch and we’ll show you how it’s done!
