In today’s Internet Retailing newsletter we’re looking with interest at the latest evidence of how the high street is rebalancing alongside ecommerce. That comes in our report on how Dragons’ Den stalwart Peter Jones hopes that a slimmed down store portfolio will help a multichannel Jessops to balance sheet success. And we also look at Laura Ashley’s more modest moves in that direction – the fashion-to-homewares retailer said today it had reduced its retail space while expanding its store portfolio in the UK, and all in the name of optimising profitability.
In today’s newsletter we also report on the news from holiday company Tui that four in 10 of its UK customers now book online, while we have the latest from Hybris on a move into omnichannel and from Paperchase on the value of web analytics. A timely guest comment today comes from Dhamendra Patel of PlayNetwork, who considers what retailers should be doing to give their stores a boost on the high street. Read our stories below for more.
Webinars
We have some upcoming webinars to tell you about. Take part by registering for the free events on our webinar page.
Laster this month, Ian Harris, chief executive of Search Laboratory will join us for a session on Demystifying Organic Search for Retailers. The event, which runs from 11am on March 28, will give a helping hand to retailers in developing natural search strategies that work. It will look at best-practice examples of search, highlight no-no’s and give action points for retailers to improve their own search marketing. Find more and register for the event here.
On April 11, at 4pm, the focus is on tag management, in How to Win with Tag Management: Strategies for Achieving Business and Marketing Agility. The event, which features QuBit’s CMO Ian McCaig and technology partnerships manager Harry Hurst, will look at how tag management works, what its benefits are, and how to use it to best advantage. Find more and register here.
And on April 18, at 11am, we’re joined by Will Cook, VP of multichannel at HP Autonomy and Colin McFarland, head of group CEM at Shop Direct, for a session on Marketing Optimisation for Online Retailers. The focus in the session will about what marketing optimisation can do for retailers, helping to personalise the customer experience and boost performance against key KPIs. Find out more here.
Finally, on April 30, Stibo Systems and Bazaarvoice join forces for a webinar on Staying relevant: creating a personal shopping experience that drives sales. In the 11am webinar, speakers Aurelien Dubot, product marketing manager EMEA at Bazaarvoice, and Simon Walker, director, ecommerce innovation, Stibo Systems, will discuss why it’s so important that retailers focus on their customers as they create shopping experiences that reflect both shoppers’ feedback and needs. They’ll be considering how to harness and learn from social data. To find out more about the webinar and to register for free, click here.
Today’s stories
Jessops back in action as a multichannel retailer
Laura Ashley grows ecommerce while rightsizing its store estate
GUEST COMMENT The secrets to in-store success
Four in 10 of Tui’s UK customers now book holidays online
Hybris stakes claim to first omnichannel platform
What learning from web analytics did for Paperchase’s sales
