Insights from October's Retail Hive Tech Leaders

The team at Spike recently partnered with The Retail Hive for their Tech Leaders event at the IOD in London.

At the October event, the Spike team hosted two round tables that delved into the risks associated with retail technology change. Discussions centered on the challenges of 'plug and play', navigating system integrator obstacles, go-live readiness, and the delicate balance between speed and risk.

Some key takeaways from our sessions include the importance of managing tech debt, making well-informed partner choices, implementing phased rollouts, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and aligning budgets with return on investment (ROI). And a feeling that we're not alone and there is good help out there!

We are excited to share our findings and insights from the event, click the link below for the full digest. Comments, feedback, and further sharing are greatly appreciated and hopefully it proves valuable to you and your team!

The key recommendations cover these critical issues:

1. How to cope when ‘Plug and play’ creates more complexity than it solves.
2. How to make a clear distinction between traditional SIs and more modern build / test partners.
3. Derisking go live with better go-live readiness checklists.
   
4. Finding a better balance of speed vs risk when implementing or changing key tech.

Thanks to all who took part, to the Hive team who kept everyone engaged and fed and watered, and to Elaine Bagshaw from Currys plc as our guest round table storyteller.

About The Retail Hive

If you havent heard of The Retail Hive do check them out. They bring senior retailers together to soundboard, ask questions, benchmark and collaborate as a collective. They do this by providing safe, co-owned and curated environments for retailers and partners to build meaningful relationships, give one another value, identify solutions, and promote best practice. they run numerous events throughout the year including their next Tech Leaders event in March 2026.