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INTERNET RETAILING AWARDS Get ready to party

25 Jun 2013

Staff Writer

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The excitement is mounting in the approach to the Internet Retailing Awards 2013. More than 20 brands have been named commended retailers across eight categories in the awards shortlist. At the glitzy awards party this Wednesday both they and the industry will at last find out the names of the overall winners in each category. The illustrious panel of judges will also present the Judges Award, while partygoers will find out who took the Internet Retailing Award 2013, voted for by Internet Retailing readers. And all of this is happening 664ft up at the SushiSamba restaurant at London’s Heron Tower.

Among the commended retailers are representatives of short-listed companies, ranging from long-standing store-based retailers who have now successfully moved to become multichannel traders, such as John Lewis, Debenhams, and Marks & Spencers, to pureplays, from Asos to Made.com and Lovehoney. The shortlist is in full at the bottom of this story.

Retailers have welcomed their nominations. Andy Harding, executive director of multichannel at House of Fraser, said: “To be recognised for our devotion to our customers amongst so many other great brands is fantastic.

“By putting the customer at the heart of every decision we make, we aim to make our site and services flawless, our product pitch perfect and our customer care the best in the business.”

Meanwhile Asos said it was “delighted to be nominated” and Made.com said its commendation was “great news.”

Lovehoney said it particularly welcomed its commendation in The Customer category. Lovehoney co-founder Neal Slateford said its customers were “our biggest fans but also our biggest critics. If we get anything wrong, they soon let us know and we change it.” He added: “What is so gratifying is that we are competing with the likes of John Lewis and House of Fraser. That shows just how far the whole sex toy industry has progressed in the last couple of years. We are very much part of the mainstream.

“Customer service is vital to any etailer and we have invested heavily to make sure every shopper gets a great experience at Lovehoney. If you ring us up, you won’t be held in a queue or face multiple call options: there will be a friendly and expert voice at the end of the line straight away to guide you through the whole shopping experience.”

All of the retailers were put forward for the initial long list by Internet Retailing readers and editors. That list was considered, debated and then voted on by our panel of distinguished judges drawn from across the industry in an afternoon-long voting session.

The names that have reached the commendation stage in the awards are named in eight categories: Innovation, Omni, M-Retailing, IRIS (Internet Retailing In-Store); Customer; Capability; International; and Global. The Internet Retailing Commended List is below, in full. For full details of the award categories click here.

On Wednesday the judges will name their overall winner in each category as well as in the Judges’ Award. We’ll also find out who our readers voted their overall winner in the Internet Retailing Award 2013. Voting has been brisk to the last minute for the Internet Retailing award, sponsored by title sponsor Venda. We’ll be bringing you the final list of overall winners in Friday’s Internet Retailing newsletter (sign up to receive our twice-weekly newsletter here).

But the evening is not all about the prizes. It’s also about meeting colleagues from the ecommerce industry, taking part in the SLI Systems London’s Landmarks Quiz, and the Venda social media photography competition, and enjoying the views from one of those landmarks. To find out more about the party, click here, and to find out more about tickets, click here.

“The combination of great judges, a hall-of-fame of Commended Winners and the excitement over which companies will scoop the prestigious Category Award, there’s going to be a real Party atmosphere high above London’s skyline tomorrow night. The calibre of guests is so high, and the format fast-moving and fluid, that partying, networking and celebration are going to be the watchwords of the evening.”

We’d also like to thank the party sponsors for getting into the spirit of the awards and helping to make sure the event goes with a swing. They are: title sponsor Venda, who have also sponsored the Internet Retailing Award 2013, the award that is voted for by readers of Internet Retailing. The Omnichannel Award is sponsored by Portaltech Reply, the Innovation Award by PayLater, the Customer Award by SDL Fredhopper, the Capability Award by Magento, the International Award by MetaPack, the M-Retailing Award by NN4M, the Global Award by Tryzens, and the IRIS Award by Red Ant. Oracle and e2x is sponsoring the bar, Bronto Software is sponsoring the lift, and SLI Systems the London Landmarks Quiz, while our research partner is Kurt Salmon.

Internet Retailing Awards Commended List

Innovation