The changing nature of retail has been under the microscope in recent weeks and it’s a subject we return to in today’s Internet Retailing newsletter, where we report on new studies that suggest, variously, a decline of mainstream retailers’ high street presence, replaced by a growing body of independent traders and on the growing importance of social commerce.

If social commerce still doesn’t seem a convincing sales channel, remember that mobile was until recently seen as a relatively minor shopping channel – but is now being hailed as a mainstream one following figures, which we also cover today, showing 12% of online purchases took place over mobile devices last year.

Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, we have news of John Lewis and eBay and our IRX previews today include an interview with IRX speaker Dan Mahoney, of Zulily, and a review of the Operations and Logistics Conference. Our guest comment today comes from Bazaarvoice’s director of authenticity Jim Houlihan, who discusses the power of online conversations.