In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter the focus is on innovation. We report on two very new ways of selling. HP is combining the use of scanners and 3D printing to enable retailers to sell printable in-soles and personalised shoes, while new brand Pentatonic is focusing hard on sustainability to make furniture – and its pop-up shops – from waste.
In themselves, neither of these developments will change the world: we’re talking about in-soles and tables and chairs at this point. But we think they’re interesting for the way they point towards new ways of doing things that could one day be very interesting indeed. There’s probably a long way to go before we get to the point where goods are routinely printed or are manufactured locally to where they’re sold, but doing so certainly fits with ongoing trends towards convenient delivery and collection, and towards instant gratification.
Today we also feature an interview with Kieron Smith of Blackwell’s, who will be speaking at the InternetConference next month, and, in other stories, eBay’s new move to focus on home entertainment, the cost of basket abandonment, and Very.co.uk’s shoppable mobile campaign, in partnership with Bauer Media.
Today’s guest comment comes from Rob Bielby of The Marketing Innovation Group, who focuses on what the GDPR will mean for marketers and retailers.
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.
