What a pleasure it was to sit down with Stephanie Buttigieg, Senior Consultant and Technical Team Lead at Retail Directions. Read on for inspiring insights into Steph's career journey, continued education, and memories of what sparked her passion for Software Engineering when she was just 9 years old.

This year, London got a real summer for a change, and I was lucky enough to be there to represent Retail Directions at a fashion-technology event and adventure through iconic fashion districts to discover the latest retail trends the city has to offer.

We are living in an increasingly more digital and, therefore, connected world. Through our mobile phones, we can access practically anything, anywhere. Most of the time, information flows without any issues and we tend to ignore occasional slowness and interruptions. Furthermore, the media keeps telling us that the NBN, 5G and other technological advances will make things even faster and more reliable.

Be Aware On 22-Feb-2018 a new amendment to the Australian Government’s Privacy Act 1988[1] came into effect and introduced new legal requirements for entities to respond to and report data breaches involving personal information.

In today’s connected world, shaping the customer journey has become increasingly complex. People interact and collaborate with each other using a combination of e-commerce, social media, and mobile. In this new ecosystem, people can easily access information such as product and brand reviews, which gives retailers extra marketing power but also makes them more vulnerable to customer criticism.

The term ‘employee engagement’ comes up regularly in corporate presentations, books and articles about management. It means nurturing a motivated team that operates with commitment to the company’s goals and values, with an enhanced sense of well-being. Despite such a simple definition, the truth is that the majority of employees are not engaged in their work.

It feels like online shopping has been around forever. Most retailers – even if they won’t mail your purchases to your door – will at least be entertaining the possibility of Click and Collect. From alcohol, CDs, DVDs, chocolate and flowers, which dominated the early days of e-commerce back in the 90s, to today’s wide range of offerings including electronics, home wares and apparel, almost anything can be summoned to your door with a click.