From being accustomed to renting our homes, and that power drill you only need once, we now don’t mind renting a nail polish that someone else has already had their hands on, or not owning our washing machine. But why aren’t people so keen to own material possessions anymore?

Argos was ‘the Amazon of the 1980s’. But now, with the web giant launching a retail store and Argos ‘doing digital’, the catalogue shop could be the one to watch. But what changed? Has Argos finally solved its image problem? And has it really become a ‘cool brand’?

With Britons doing more online shopping than any other nation, high street retailers are finding new ways to lure people through their doors. London's EAT17 is a one-stop shop, offering kitchen towels, gourmet sausages, a quick burger or fancy evening meal, all under one roof.

Having reshaped the British grocery landscape, discount supermarket Lidl has announced its first fashion line. As competition for ‘top UK supermarket’ steps up, is selling jeans next to the milk aisle now non-negotiable? And what does it say about our changing shopping habits?

With half of the UK population now passing through the doors of discount retailers and their sales showing double digit year-on-year growth, there’s certainly an appetite for discounted goods. But what’s behind this shift? And how is it affecting the UK’s retail landscape?

Despite 66% of US households using coupons in an attempt to save money on their groceries, only $3.5 billion of the $470 billion worth of coupons were redeemed in 2013. Could Groupon’s cash back coupon Snap prove to be a digital solution to coupon-cutting?

Push for a pizza, swipe for a cleaner and tap for a taxi. The rise of apps like Uber is facilitating the culture of ‘I want it, and I want it now’. For digital-savvy city-dwellers from London to Beijing, everything you need – from your dinner to a ride home – is just an app away.

In just five years, Shoes of Prey customers have personalised over 10 million pairs of shoes, from ballet flats to gladiator heels, and annual revenue is nearing $10 million AUD. But what makes designing your own pair of snakeskin peep-toe wedges so appealing to Australian women?