Waking up to a very different world

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As we saw in our sister title, InternetRetailing.net’s newsletter just yesterday, things are picking up for retailers, especially in the online space. And much of this growth as we come out of recession is being driven by mobile, with 10% of retailers expecting at least 50% of the UK’s online sales to come through a mobile OS by the end of the year and with a fifth of all online spend across Europe coming from mobile.

This is impressive enough, but really marks how things have changed in the retail space while consumers have been being careful with their money over the past few years. But have retailers kept pace?

When recession really took hold back in about 2010/11, mobile was still very much a ‘nice to have’, with many retailers not being that committed to investing in anything more than an app. Now, with consumers surging back to buy things, retail is proving to be the place they want to do their shopping. And the retailers that understand this seismic shift that has occurred while sales have been hibernating are the ones that are going to win.

And this doesn’t just mean making their e-commerce sites compatible with mobile, it is about making mobile the centre of how they operate. While huge amounts of sales are predicted to come through mobile OSs in the coming months, stores are also being impacted to a huge degree by consumers on mobile. In fact, many retailers are losing up to a third of in store sales because of consumers using mobile in store.

Mobile is going to be the first port of call – device wise – for most consumers as 2014 unfolds. It doesn’t matter whether it is in buying stuff while slumped on the sofa or in the high street, nor if they are looking for more info while in a store or indeed wanting easier ways to pay and redeem vouchers. Mobile is the enabler for what is a fundamental, post recessionary shift in consumer behaviour. And as with all revolutions there are going to be some changes.

The likes of Facebook , Google , Apple and Amazon are all vying to become key to the e-commerce world. Again mobile is a fundamental part of their strategy to achieve this. Retailers really need to beware now, more than ever, of the changes that are coming.

Our research



We’re currently looking at the use of ecommerce techniques in the B2B sector. Take part in our survey to contribute to a research briefing that will be published later this spring.

Our awards



Nominations are now open for the 2014 Internet Retailing Awards sponsored by Venda . 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 roof top party in the middle of the City. Who will take this year’s titles? This year’s awards will be announced at an exclusive event at One Mayfair on Thursday June 26. There’s also plenty of time to snap up a discounted early bird ticket to the event – though be warned, the opportunity expires at midnight on Thursday May 1.

Catch-up on IRX 2014



If you missed an Internet Retailing Conference 2014 presentation that you’d like to catch up on, you can do so now through the post-event website. Visitors to www.internetretailingconference.com can access all the presentations that we’ve been given permission to share with our audiences.

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