Today’s InternetRetailing newsletter underlines what a difference joined-up multichannel retail makes to a business. Today we report on figures from John Lewis and Sainsbury’s, which have both built businesses around the way that customers want to shop – whether that’s online, in a large store or in a shop close to them. This week, both report strong sales growth and, in Sainsbury’s case, increased profits.
It’s fast becoming clear that giving customers the ability to shop as they want is no longer a ‘nice to have’. Rather, these days, it’s a fundamental essential. Morrisons, which recognised that fact late in the day, is still rolling out its national online grocery delivery service. This week it reported a dramatic, and significant, 7% fall in sales.
The multichannel and ecommerce industry is one in which new opportunities emerge constantly. Just Eat this week illustrated the growth of online takeaway ordering, especially when it rains, while new research showed this week that shoppers’ attitudes to buying online were changing. It seems we’re getting more open to being sent offers via our phones.
Another upcoming opportunity is highlighted in this week’s guest comment, where Sitel’s Guy Tweedale considers the opportunities set to be brought by the World Cup.
Click to read more on our current research and events, including our third annual Internet Retailing Awards.
Our webinars
On May 20, Amplience founder and chief executive James Brooke leads a hands-on webinar that will show how retailers from Tesco to L’Oreal are using rich and dynamic media to create compelling shopping experiences. Amplience: Customer experience masterclass takes place at 2pm on May 20. Click here to find out more and register for the free event.
And on May 21, Jim Davidson, managing of marketing research at Bronto, will host a webinar demystifying the responsive design for marketing messages. Bronto: The responsive inbox: marketing to multidevice consumers takes place at 2pm on May 21. Click here for more information and to register for free.
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.
