In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter we’re covering IMRG analysis that suggests ecommerce sales are now at the same level they would have been if the Covid-19 pandemic had never happened. Pandemic-driven online sales were ‘a blip,’ according to this analysis, while, considered over the long term, ecommerce is expanding at a rate of about 5% a year.
We’re also reporting as research suggests that shoppers are cutting back on spending this Valentine’s Day. Instead, they are opting for money-saving alternatives such as ‘no-present’ pacts or buying via deal websites or using ‘buy now pay later’ payments.
Retailers from Currys to Very Group are unveiling very different strategies with an arguably similar aim – to give shoppers the right products for them. For Currys it’s about enabling shoppers to spend less to buy sustainable refurbished electronic items, from phones to laptops. For Very Group it’s about using machine learning and AI to help shoppers find the products that are most relevant to them. Meanwhile, Ikea group company Ingka Investments is investing in the ‘blue economy’ for the first time. In doing so, all aim to reflect shoppers’ priorities at a time when they have less money to spend – and retailers must work more smartly to earn sales.
In his latest InternetRetailing column, retail veteran David Kohn considers what the advantages are for AR and VR – and why it’s taken so long for the technologies to catch on.
Consumer electronics brands are set to expand direct-to-consumer sales this year – adding social to more established channels, a study suggests.
And we report as Amazon workers at its Coventry warehouse vote to take a second round of strike action – this time for seven days – in their campaign for a £15 hourly rate.
In today’s guest comment, Dirk Hoerig of commercetools considers how retailers can plan to prosper in difficult times.
