Four hundred movers and shakers from the UK’s online and multichannel industries were at London’s Heron Tower on Wednesday for the annual Internet Retailing Awards party, whisked upwards by a fast-moving lift that could be seen as a symbol for the fast growth that this sector is still seeing. It’s an upwards and onwards momentum that’s reflected across today’s Internet Retailing newsletter, where today we also cover Asos’ move to offer real-time tracking complete with 15-minute delivery windows, Debenhams’ report that its online sales grew by 40% in its third quarter, and by news of new visual search software developed in the UK that, its developers claim, could change the way we look for products. Read the stories in full in the newsletter below.
In today’s newsletter we also report on The Wine Society, celebrating six million multichannel orders. Our guest comment today is from Eric Head of ForeSee, who mulls over the wisdom of showrooming fees.
Webinars
We have a number of upcoming webinars to let you know about today.
On Tuesday July 2, we host Sitecore and Blueleaf for a webinar on Personalising the user journey for premium retailers. The event will be held at 2pm on Tuesday, when the speaker will be Rob Smith, strategy director at Blueleaf. More information is available here, on the Sitecore webinar page.
Earlier the same day we also host a webinar delving into our recent research into Understanding and defining the steps in the customer experience. Our research partners will join us for a discussion of the report’s findings, from how retailers can best define the customer journey, through to better ways to connect with customers, and practical approaches towards developing a single view of the customer. The webinar starts at 11am on Tuesday July 2, when our speakers will be Andrew Fowler, UK country manager, Apptus, Daniel Thompson, sales director UK, hybris Software, Roger Luxton, industry marketing director, SDL Campaign Management and Analytics, and Tim Williams, head of partnerships at Shutl. Find out more on our dedicated webinar page.
Finally, on Tuesday July 16, SLI Systems bring together Snow + Rock and Javelin Group to discuss SaaS (software as a service): risks and rewards in retail. The event takes place at 11am, when Fraser Davidson, director, technology services, at Javelin Group, and David Kohn, head of multichannel at Snow + Rock, will speak. Find out more and register for the free webinar here.
More information about our webinar programme is available here.
Events
We’re also excited to have the first details of the 8th Internet Retailing Conference. The event will be held on October 16 in London. Keynote speakers will include Sir Stuart Rose, chairman of Ocado and Dressipi, and Laura Wade-Geary, executive director, multichannel ecommerce, Marks & Spencer. For more details and early bird supersaver registration, visit
www.internetretailingconference.com.
And a reminder too that you can still catch up if you missed that vital briefing at Internet Retailing Expo (IRX2013). Presentations and panels from the across the six conferences of the event, the workshops and Innovation TV Studio are now available to view online at InternetRetailingExpo.com.
Today’s stories
INTERNET RETAILING AWARDS The results, and the party, with pictures
Asos launches real-time delivery tracking, enabling 15 minute delivery windows
‘Find similar’ software that mimics the brain set to make UK ecommerce debut this autumn
GUEST COMMENT So when did window shopping become a crime?
Debenhams reports 40% lift for online sales
Wine Society marks six million multichannel orders
