This content was created by Vinny O Brien. This content was uploaded by Vinny O Brien. This is a YouTube video titled "The V Spot Retail and eCommerce Weekly News Friday Week 15" (posted June 10, 2023). It is a single-speaker monologue / weekly e‑commerce retail update in English by the channel host covering retail strategy observations and news: Ireland e‑commerce growth projections (from ~€6bn to >€10bn by 2027), a government grant scheme (round 6) for digitization/marketing/upskilling with applications closing May 4, recent company forecast revisions (AO.com and Uniqlo moving forecasts up), and promotion of upcoming events (Ecom Live in Belfast, a masterclass on the 26th, and an invite‑only LinkedIn "eCommerce Happy Hour"). The host also discusses testing a new podcast format, shares informal personal anecdotes (on‑camera blemish, cleaning a dead rat), and invites viewers to DM for the private event link. Content is informational/promotional and not a multi‑speaker conversation.
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Hey guys, it's Friday. I hope all is well. It's Retail Week 15, trying a new format, and I got a blemish. Here in Ireland, we call it a spot, a zinger, a volcano, whatever the hell you want to call it. But the week I decide to do video format, this is what happens. That's what we call pressure. Next up, I ask, is the day of the small team over? What I was really getting at was that decisions being made by smaller teams tend to take that bit longer than larger teams. And that came to light this week when I saw so many companies revising down their forecast for the year ahead. So they've taken a lot of time to go back to Q4, have a look at what's going on in Q2, and they're projecting out into a really uncertain Q2, Q3, and 2023. So what is your strategy going to be? Don't be held back by being a small team. Don't be afraid to go back on things you thought you knew. And start making some different decisions. Next up, e-com here in Ireland is booming with growth rates projected to continue right up to 2027. That will see Ireland's gross e-commerce volume going from €6 billion today to over €10 billion in just 4 years. And what's driving that? We're a small island nation. There's plenty of other reasons that it's out there, but the government recognized the need to continue to support this and they've gone into round 6 of a scheme where they are giving out grants to retailers who want to avail of consulting services or marketing and growth services from providers all around the country. To date, they've generated nearly €20 million or given out nearly €20 million in revenue funding to people who want to avail of services with the express aim of digitizing, internationalizing, and upskilling your teams. This is an opportunity not to be missed with applications closing for this round on the 4th of May. If you need proof that revising is not a bad thing, this week we saw AO.com and Uniqlo both adjusting their forecasted revenue and margin figures up for the year ahead, citing good cost reductions and cost management and internationalization as part of their core strategies. Final story for this week. We are only 12 days away from Ecom Live in Belfast. I am extremely excited to be coming back this year as MC again, and on the 26th, I will be doing a masterclass in e-commerce leadership for those who are buying tickets. There's a great social calendar set up there too, so if you get along, let's get together, have a drink, share some stories, and create some new ones. But looking forward to seeing anyone that's going to be attending there, and I look forward to learning as I go too. I'm wrapping this up just now, but I am testing out formats for a new podcast that I'm going to bring to life in the second half of this year. Some of the things I've learned in the last few hours are: get a script, don't try and do it without prep. If there are dead rats in the garden, try and clean them out before you get on screen, because yep, I got dragged in to clean out a dead rat about 30 minutes ago. Not pleasant, not for the rat, not for me, not for anybody. And as you'll see from my little highlight read for some— highlight reel from some of the work that I've done previously, I'm not very good on camera. I'd love to think I am, and I've listened to loads of podcasts to get the formatting right, but truth be told, I haven't got a voice for it. I don't really get lighting right, so I'm gonna have to get some pros in to help me, but that's the space that we're moving into. I'm trying to develop a new format for content delivery, and hopefully it's going to be something that keeps you all interested. So happy Friday, have a good weekend, and for those who've watched this far, you can join me and a few of the other LinkedIn Voices for a drink in about 6 or 7 hours for the e-commerce happy hour If you want the link, if you've listened this far, drop me a DM and I'll share it with you now. It's an invite only, it will not be advertised anywhere else, and join the best and brightest for a drink after work. This will be something everyone wants to get in on in the next few months, but it is the start of eCommerce Happy Hour, and if you've listened this far, you have earned it. Have a great weekend.
