In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter we take a look at how retailers are balancing the fact that shoppers are spending more of their shopping lives online with the fact that they still want to visit the store. We report as Sainsbury’s brings digital further into the store, as Missguided opens more stores and as, according to BRC and Google figures, shoppers make more retail searches online and particularly via mobile.
Today we also report on how Next is seeing sales slow in its stores, and growth online slow. Economic conditions combined with changing consumer behaviour are reshaping the high street landscape. Nonetheless, successful retailers are finding solutions that combine digital with the store, making it easier and more convenient to shop in the way that best suits the customer at any given moment. It’s clear that it’s not a binary decision for retailers deciding whether to invest online or in stores, but a holistic one that takes into account the fact that consumers like to have the choice.
The fact that this involves difficult decisions is underlined by research from Salmon out this week. It found that many ecommerce and multichannel directors feel they have previously wasted money on technology, and hesitate to invest in future innovations for fear of getting it wrong.
Today’s timely guest comment comes from Brett Lawrence of Inviqa, who has suggestions on how fashion retailers can grow online in uncertain times.
We report too on how Scotts & Co is selling its fashion brands to concentrate on its core business, which includes Scotts of Stow.
Webinars
Find out more about upcoming InternetRetailing webinars and register for free on the InternetRetailing webinar page. You can also catch up with past webinars on the page: recent sessions have come from IBM Watson on using AI to improve the customer experience, and from SmartFocus and The Entertainer on using social to reach digital customers.
