'What would shopping look like if you could walk into a store, grab what you want and just go?' Amazon asked this question about four years ago, and last week introduced Amazon Go - a cashier-free grocery store currently being tested by Amazon employees in Seattle, and set to open to the public next year.

Also on the subject of trends, Graham du Plessis from Zando looks to the mobile landscape for 2017 and what e-retailers could expect, from more content rich apps to more creative methods of advertising.

And Antoinette Coetzee from Redefine Properties does not believe the peak in shopping around the start of the festive season means better than expected festive spend, but rather customers starting earlier, and suggests retailers "connect with customers to bring cheer this festive season". She goes on to discuss some key trends for this year's festive shopping season.

Wrapping up, we've compiled the annual #BestofBiz 2016 lists across all industries featuring our most-read content, from articles, to contributor pieces to press offices. Give them a read for a condensed version of the news and stories that made headlines this year.

Note that this is our last week of newsletters for the year, but keep an eye on the website for regular updates throughout, and start getting excited for #BizTrends2017. This is just the start...

Wishing our readers a blessed festive season and a prosperous New Year!


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