In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter we’re reporting as retailers continue to respond to the challenges that Covid-19 has brought, finding new ways to deliver convenient services when shoppers can’t visit stores.
Their ability to adapt has enabled many traders not just to survive but to thrive. Pets at Home says that previous investment in omnichannel technology enabled it to find flexible ways to ensure that the UK’s growing band of pet owners can buy in convenient ways in lockdown in the first half of its financial year. Now it is working to get to know its customers in order to deliver services and goods in a frictionless way.
AO, meanwhile, says lockdown heralded a shift online in the electricals market that it now expects to be permanent. It says a “unique set of circumstances” has meant customers have tried shopping online and like it. It’s expanded its warehousing and logistics as a result – and predicts that its German business will move into profit more quickly as a result of the shift, which it’s also seen in that market.
We report on the latest research into how Covid-19 has changed retail – and how retailers have responded. And we round up the latest insights into a peak trading season that’s this year taking place under lockdown. The good news for retailers is that from next week, non-essential retailers will be able to open across England.
In today’s guest comment, Ed Bradley of Virtualstock considers the role of drop shipping in expanding online capacity and building customer loyalty at a challenging time.
And we report on research that suggests while many UK retailers consider they will be ready for the end of the Brexit transition period, almost a quarter of those questioned in a survey have done nothing to prepare, so far.
