Waitrose’s online shopping site will use behavioural retargeting technology to remind shoppers travelling around the internet what they previously bought and what they forgot to put in their supermarket trolley. The company is using Criteo technology to power the move.

In our latest preview of one of our major events of the year, Internet Retailing Expo (IRX 2012), we have an interview with eCommera co-founder and former Figleaves chief executive Michael Ross. Ross will be speaking at the Enterprise Conference on March 21, the first day of the free-to-attend two-day event. In our interview he tells us why retail must now start and finish with the consumer.

In a world in which the empowered customer is now in control of the business relationship, how can brands and retailers best engage with those customers to profitable ends? Richard Anderson, VP of client services in EMEA at Bazaarvoice, considers.

The Hut Group, the retailer behind brands from TheHut to Zavvi, reports a 70% rise in sales for 2011. Thirty-five percent of sales, said the group, now come from overseas.

Retailers must overcome a ‘deluge’ of data to give customers the personal experience they demand, a study commissioned by SAP (UK) study has found. The report found retailers were struggling to turn the data into actionable insights, and needed to balance the required investment against the need for profitability.

Mothercare has announced its new chief executive will be Simon Calver, who joins the company from Amazon-owned LOVEFiLM. In the role, Calver will face the challenge of rebuilding the company’s sales and profits, particularly in its key UK market.

Online sales grew by a more modest 11.3% in January after a December of fast growth, according to the latest BRC figures. The figures also showed that total UK like-for-like sales sales were down by 0.3% as consumers tightened their belts.

TUI today reported rising online sales in its key UK market as it updated the markets on progress since the end of its third quarter. But overall UK sales were down by 10% in January compared to the same time last year.

In our latest preview of one of our major events of the year, Internet Retailing Expo (IRX 2012), we have an interview with Tom Allason, founder and chief executive of online delivery specialist Shutl. We also have the latest news from suppliers showing at IRX, today featuring Intershop and its next generation ecommerce platform Intershop 7.

UK retailers are making their delivery services more flexible, an annual report from MICROS UK found. But there’s still room for improvements that could help retailers gain a competitive advantage, says report sponsor MetaPack

John Lewis has signed up to RichRelevance’s personalisation technology as it looks to grow its online sales. It says that the use of the technology helps it give customers a unique and more relevant experience.

House of Fraser has appointed Norbert Dentressangle to manage its multichannel fulfillment. The role will include supporting the department store as it looks to grow its multichannel sales.

UK high streets of the future will be mainly residential with small-scale shopping that includes local collection points, said Phil Wrigley, chairman of Majestic Wine this week. But does that necessarily mean the death of the high street as it is today?

M&S and Samsung have unveiled a new Smart TV app that they say will show how we’ll shop in the future. The new app can’t be used to buy goods but it does give access to content in areas including the latest fashion and beauty advice as well as tips on buying.

Supermarkets’ websites are testing their users, according to the latest e-Performance Observatory from usability specialist YUSEO. Only 51% of those set a series of tasks to achieve on six supermarkets’ websites were successful, while users said they were less likely to use all of the supermarkets after completing the tasks.

In our latest preview of one of our major events of the year, Internet Retailing Expo (IRX 2012), we have an interview with serial entrepreneur John Sollars, who will be speaking at the Fast Track Conference on March 21, the first day of the free-to-attend two-day event. Now managing director of Stinkyinkshop.com, he shared with us some of the lessons he’s learned from his experiences.

Retailers are competing, whether they know it or not, to satisfy their customers and see repeat business. Doing this successfully starts with a single view of the supply chain, argues Craig Sears-Black of Manhattan Associates.

Amazon.com, owner of the UK’s largest online trader, amazon.co.uk, reported growing sales but a 58% fall in profits as it upped spending on technology and infrastructure. The company said the Kindle e-reader was its biggest seller in both the US and Europe.

Multichannel veteran John Walden is the new appointment at Argos. Walden, who was previously responsible for areas including ecommerce and catalogue sales at US retailers including Sears and Best Buy, is faced with the task of turning around falling sales at the leading UK multichannel retailer.

Online grocer Ocado today unveiled a rise in sales and a narrowing in pre-tax losses as it expanded its service in terms of the area that it serves and of the number of products it sells. Chief executive Tim Steiner said the biggest threat to online growth was ‘under investment in capacity’.