Customers are at the heart of today’s InternetRetailing newsletter, where we’ve news that shoppers feeling a boost from the lifting UK economy appear to be spending more online too as a surge in deliveries is detected. We also report on how Tesco is set to bring multichannel retailing to more customers in China through a now-formalised joint venture, while the consumer also comes centrestage as we report on the shortlist for The Customer Award in the Internet Retailing Awards 2014. Richard Longhurst of Lovehoney adds to the coverage by telling us why and how the sex toys etailer focuses on looking after its customers.
But just as we map the importance of focusing on the customer, it’s also timely to ponder Office’s reported data breach, coming as it does just a week after a similar breach at eBay. In both, customers’ passwords, addresses and date of birth information were lost to hackers. Just the sort of information that’s so useful to financial fraudsters. Customers will soon start to learn that entrusting retailers with their date of birth is simply not a good idea, and even grow concerned about sharing their home address, unless retailers start to take serious steps to protect this information more securely.
Elsewhere in today’s newsletter we report on MySale’s plans to go public, and on how Screwfix’s mobile, pay and collect service is helping to lift sales.
Today’s guest comment comes from Stuart Miller of ByBox, who considers why M&S must also consider its logistics as well as its front-of-house customer experience.
Click to read more on our upcoming events, including our third annual Internet Retailing Awards.
Our webinars
Click to visit the Internet Retailing webinars page to find out about any upcoming webinars and to catch up on any that you may have missed.
Our awards
Judges for the 2014 Internet Retailing Awards will soon be considering their shortlist. Last year the winners of these multichannel and ecommerce industry awards included Tesco, Burberry, Asos, Lakeland, eBay, Amazon, Oasis/Warehouse and LoveHoney, who celebrated their wins at a rooftop party in the middle of the City. Who will take this year’s titles? Shortlist will be announced in the May issue of the magazine with the winners revealed at an exclusive event at One Mayfair on Thursday June 26. Click here for more information or to buy a ticket to the event.
Catch-up on IRX 2014
If you missed an Internet Retailing Expo 2014 presentation that you’d like to catch up on, you can do so now through the post-event website. Visitors to www.internetretailingexpo.com can access all the presentations that we’ve been given permission to share with our audiences.
