RTIH's Liz Morrell talks to Kate Hardcastle about her new book and views on the state of retail today

In her nearly 30-year portfolio career, Kate Hardcastle has had one constant. “My heartbeat is insight, advocacy and empowerment but my north star is the consumer,” she says.

She continues to take on a variety of roles both within retail and in wider industry, from chairing conferences (she’s off to host London Tech Week as we conduct the interview for this article), being interviewed as a consumer expert in print and broadcast (over 2,000 documentaries and interviews), to advising boardrooms (large and small).

Her latest project has seen the launch of her first book. The Science of Shopping, will, she hopes, put the consumer at the centre of the universe for even more businesses – including retail.

“We have had lots of interest over the years for different types of books, including a consumer shop smart book but I didn’t think that was the right thing for me at the time,” explains Hardcastle. “I thought that if I was going to start with any book it should probably talk about the retail I came into and the retail I think we’re going into, and the intermediary between which is the technology and human side.”

Although she says she is “genuinely excited” about the next 15-20 years in retail she stresses that there is much still to be done, especially since many businesses continue to house their technology department apart from their rest of their business.

“I’ve been in, seen, supported and even now advise companies where technology sits in one room and ecommerce or marketing sits in entirely different ones. Even two weeks ago I was speaking to silos of teams in an organisation. That’s not going to work,” she says.

Her book, launched in the UK earlier this month and in the US in Los Angeles on 24th June, aims to be accessible to all readers rather than just retailers. “I wanted a book that a consumer could pick up, a retailer could pick up and other brands looking to enter retail could or wanting a human connection could pick up,” she says.

Retail from the outside in

Hardcastle describes the contents as approaching retail thinking from the outside in rather than from inside out. She explains that her book does this by exploring the psychology of the consumer, their desires and needs and the tools and technology that already exist or are still to come to help support those requirements.

The consumer first approach is what makes her book different, she says. Her first two chapters look to dismiss jargon and get to the very heart – conscious or not – of what drives consumer decision-making for a purchase. “Lots of retail books talk to retail practice and are written by retail practitioners. I’m not saying they don’t talk about the consumer but they don’t start there,” she says.

She believes retailers need to better understand the human drivers of the person making the purchase decision and says she hopes that her book can be used as the toolkit to make that happen.

So far she says it’s surprising even seasoned retail professionals. “One of the most charming pieces of feedback was a retailer reading it who was surprised as a consumer by how susceptible they found they were to things in other retail practises and how much they were a blind shopper they called it. But I also hope that a consumer reading it or a student reading it will actually feel a bit more empowered about how and why they buy.”

Launching in collaboration with the experts

The book is being launched in a series of events alongside or hosted by many of the great and varied retailers and personalities she has interviewed for its contents.

“I didn’t want to do a normal book tour. You can’t talk about brilliant retail and then just turn up in a bookstore and sign books,” she says. “We are trying to make these events really beneficial because I’m conscious of people’s time. I want people to come along and feel like they are not getting me chatting on about the book, they are seeing retail come to life and they can ask questions.”

So with all her retail experience and in-depth knowledge of the consumer who does Hardcastle feel is currently doing retail well? She hesitates. “I don’t think any retailer can nail it at the minute because the complexity of it all is really difficult,” she says.

“There are a couple of brands I enjoy shopping with as a consumer but with the caveat that I don’t think they are getting it right everywhere and I think that’s ok because we’re all working practise. I think it’s that perpetual need for a positive kind of dissatisfaction at the minute that’s driving good leaders though.”

👚👗 "It's a very interesting piece of marketing because they're not chasing the latest trends. What they're chasing really is textile innovation"@katehardcastle speaking to #BBC Business Report about the latest #UNIQLO figures.#TheCustomerWhisperer pic.twitter.com/o0m4AoRMf4

— The Customer Whisperer (@CustWhisperer) October 10, 2024

Prioritising what’s important

Hardcastle believes that for too long there has been a “cut, copy and paste approach” to retail. Coupled with challenging situations – such as high retail crime rates and the recent cyberattacks - she says it’s no surprise that retailers are struggling to stand out and truly impress the consumer.

“Since Covid retail and business leaders have been through a seabed of issues they are trying to navigate. There is a lot of work to do to take all that on and retailers can feel overloaded with the job task. It’s about trying to prioritise what’s really important, particularly when your consumers are changing.”

It’s also about keeping up with the speed of technology change. “We are working with technology that is being invented in the moment and what I feel is really interesting is that your consumers are learning at the same speed as you. That’s never been the case before.”

But she says that consumers also need educating as to the whys of technology implementation. Although technology can revolutionise retail, such as with AI facial recognition, robots or self-service Hardcastle believes that in most incidents clarity to the consumer is lacking.

“I can’t think of any case in all of those technology installations where anyone’s guided the consumer through why they were there, or what the benefit is to them. This is a two-way relationship now and a totally different time.”

So are retailers adjusting their mindset fast enough to react? “Some absolutely are and I’m excited to be around them,” says Hardcastle. “But this cut, copy and paste mechanic that is too relied upon gives them a false sense of security.”

Building closer relationships with consumers

Instead, she believes retailers need to use their abundant data more effectively to build closer relationships with their customers. “There’s a good opportunity for retailers to feel close to their customers but what I’m asking for is for retailers not just to feel they understand them but truly have a relationship where they are engaged with them and where they are delivering against a set of priorities for a contracted price given by that consumer,” she says.

So what does it take to engage Hardcastle as a shopper? She admits that the instore experience is key, despite the power of online. “I love to shop, as many consumers do, but I’m waiting for that store that really takes my breath away. It definitely used to be Selfridges but not so much at the moment,” she says.

The breathtaking experience should include a number of elements, she explains. “It’s definitely about human connection. It still really matters to me. It’s about people that welcome you as well as the food and beverage industry does and that recognise the need to feel special and important. It’s a special experience, human connection and technology in the right place. It’s a store that excites and ignites me.”

She believes, perhaps with the help of her book, that such stores are coming as retail enters its platinum age. “I’m really excited about what’s ahead and hope this book provides a framework for people who are on that journey. We are at this biggest pivot point and I think there are great things to come,” she says.

*Liz Morrell is a freelance retail business journalist and copywriter and regular contributor to RTIH.