Hello and welcome to our first InternetRetailing Growth 2000 (G2K) report. Building on our four years of RetailX IRUK Top500 research that have assessed the largest UK ecommerce and multichannel retailers, it offers a unique performance-based perspective on 2,000 retailers that, while lacking the footprint of larger companies, are still a huge and vibrant part of the overall UK retail market.
It’s a diverse list and one that encompasses regional retailers, direct-selling brands, specialists and foreign retailers selling into the UK. Yet each shares the same core challenges, which are reflected in how we present our research.
They have the need to be found in Search; the need to be with Mobile customers who are increasingly reliant on smartphones; the need to provide efficient and flexible Delivery options; and the need to be Social – to help customers engage in conversations with retailers as well as to share what they’ve learned with others.
As ever, many people have contributed to this report, but I would especially like to thank Sangeetha Narasimhan, EMEA marketing director of Ingenico, whose insights into the dynamic nature of retailers outside the IRUK Top500 were a key initial inspiration in making us look at RetailX research from a new angle.
I think this initial report is revealing. While G2K retailers by definition lack the resources of larger retailers, the research highlights many examples of companies taking innovative approaches. In the months ahead, at InternetRetailing.net, and in our reports and white papers, we will highlight some of these companies and interrogate further what it is they’re doing well.
For now, though, we are happy to present our initial results, which we believe offer a unique insight into British retail beyond the very biggest high street names.
