We look at some of the emerging tech themes for next year, including mobility and data. (more…)
Smart vehicles, big data, and mobile: key trends for 2015
Analysis
Large retailers are the real convenience stores: study
Shoppers are gravitating toward larger retailers in search of convenience and flexible deliveries. (more…)
The Long Black Friday: smoking gun or smoke-screen
Why is Black Friday still having such an effect two weeks after it took place? (more…)
Inventory and order management to lead the way in 2015
Inventory and order management might be a high priority for almost everyone in the industry, yet less than half are making headway. (more…)
M&S distribution woes: industry expects others will follow
Was Black Friday behind failures at M&S’s Castle Donington distribution centre, and will other retailers be hit by a wave of orders and returns this Christmas that could see them struggle too? (more…)
The hangover after Christmas returns
Black Friday is already becoming a dim and distant memory, as all retail eyes are now firmly fixed on Christmas. But unless they make every effort to shore up their supply chains, UK retailers could be facing an almighty returns hangover once the Christmas party is over, according to Fraser (more…)
Argos digs for victory with first Underground store
Promising the largest range of products from its smallest ever store, Argos has opened an outlet at Cannon Street Tube station on the London Underground network. The store, which measures just 650 sq ft, will make 20,000 products available for same-day and next-day collection. By comparison, the average Argos store (more…)
Mind the omni-channel gap, customers tell retailers
There’s a disconnect between the omni-channel promise and its reality, according to research from OrderDynamics, with significant gaps appearing between shoppers’ wants and the services some businesses offer. More than half of online shoppers (54%) want a named delivery date, but only 15% of retailers currently offer it, making it (more…)
Digital first bears fruit for Mothercare
With its sights set firmly on becoming a digitally-led business, Mothercare has announced the first signs of a turnaround in its fortunes. Following the appointment in July of a new CEO, Mark Newton-Jones, and a £95m rights issue, the parents-and-children retail group saw online sales grow by 14.1% in the (more…)
Delivery options top of the Christmas wishlist as online retailers anticipate a bumper festive season
Half of UK online retailers expect to see 20% year-on-year growth this Christmas, according to IMRG In its latest survey of senior ecommerce professionals, IMRG found that the percentage of retailers expecting annual growth to reach in excess of 10% over the festive trading period reached 85%, compared with 80% (more…)
Brits lead the way in European online shopping habits
Almost one-in-three British consumers shopped online in the last three months, outpacing their French and German counterparts, according to research from Hermes. With 27% of British shoppers placing orders online (compared to 14% in France and just 10% in Germany), the growing importance of multichannel offerings and better delivery services (more…)
InPost launches 1,000th UK lockerbank
InPost has launched its 1,000th UK locker location in the UK – and says it will open its 2,000th next year. The parcel locker service has opened the milestone lockerbank on Harrow Road in Wembley, London, as it scales up ahead of the Christmas shopping period. It says its network is (more…)
UK-wide survey shows Londoners happiest to share their location data
A UK-wide survey of 2,000 people has found Londoners are the happiest to share their location data with brands, as long as they receive relevant deals in return.
Wearable tech set to boom this Christmas – with long term impact on retail business, believes Samsung
According to research commissioned by Samsung Electronics and prepared by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR), 2014 is set to be the year that the wearables sector begins making a significant economic impact with its predicted value across the UK, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands likely to hit £924.2 million (more…)
Multichannel investment helps Selfridges deliver record profits
Investment in multichannel helped Selfridges deliver record profits in its latest financial year. The company this week announced operating profits of £150m, up by 12.3% on the same time last year, while gross sales grew by 10.4% to £1.2bn. All the company’s retail channels grew during the year, with online (more…)
High streets must adapt to changing shopping or die: IMRG
High street landlords and councils risk killing many of the UK’s high streets by failing to adapt to the “fundamental transformation” in the way we shop, the IMRG’s chairman has warned. James Roper, who founded the etail trade association, says tens of thousands of retail outlets could close if changes (more…)