In today’s Internet Retailing newsletter we report on the fall in demand for high street retail shop sites evidenced in the latest RICS survey of the commercial property market – and predictions of a fall in rent values. Retailers need a reason, says one commentator, to stay in large shops rather than moving towards smaller premises where online purchases can be picked up.
We also have news of an acquisition for The Hut Group, and get some insights into exactly when and how Christmas buying took place, courtesy of IBM and BT Expedite and Fresca. In today’s newsletter we interview Christoph Rieche of Iwoca while a Wednesday guest comment from Mansoor Malik of ForeSee looks at the importance of customer service, online and off, in a competitive retail market. In today’s IRX 2013 preview we focus on the workshop programme.
We have four upcoming Internet Retailing webinars to flag up this week. As always, it’s free to attend our webinars, and you can find out more on our webinar page.
On February 6, at 3pm, Nathan Richter, strategic services director at Monetate , is joined by Simon Harrow of Kiddicare, for a session focused on the Latest trends in website personalisation. During the course of the event retailers can bring their knowledge of personalisation techniques up-to-date, while finding out how successful brands are using them to boost their order values and return on investment. To find out more and to sign up for the webinar click here.
On February 12, at 4pm, we’ll be joined by Don Bush, VP, Marketing at Kount, for a webinar that explores how retailers can Boost sales, beat fraud and reduce chargebacks. Featuring a case study from CD Baby, the session will explore ways that traders can make sure their sales are both safe and profitable. Find out more here, where you can also sign up to the webinar.
On February 20, at 11am, Matthew Curry of Lovehoney and Chris Edge of SLI Systems join us for a webinar, If they can’t find it they can’t buy it – importance of site search for online retailers. During the session the two speakers will examine how site search is used on the Lovehoney site, while Chris Edge, head of customer success UK at SLI, will also give broad advice on best practice use. To find out more about this webinar and to register, click here.
And on February 28 at 11am, we’ll be joined by Tim Pickard, chief strategist at NewVoiceMedia and Martin Hill-Wilson, chief executive of Brainfood and a long-standing member of the UK customer service community, for a discussion on how retailers can connect their CRM data with telephony to recognize and respond to individual customer situations and so offer a truly personalised customer experience, in Customer experience: making it personal. For more information and to register, click here.
Demand for high street retail space falls as online sales grow
The Hut Group buys Probikekit.com and wins new investment
IRX 2013 THE HIGHLIGHTS: The workshops
GUEST COMMENT: A challenging week for UK retail
Christmas trading peaks on Boxing Day, Mega Monday and on mobile
INTERVIEW: We talk to Christoph Rieche of Iwoca
