Every week, the EtailDetail team prepare a digest of the previous 7 days of online retail news. Along the way, we’ll pick the most interesting stories from the worlds of technology, social media, marketing and more, allowing you to see everything at a glance.
Retail News and Trends
Online and department stores see growth in Q2 to July as ONS says overall trend is toward retail growth
In the three months to July 2019, the quantity bought in retail sales increased by 0.5% when compared with the previous three months, with online accounting for 19.9% of total retailing compared with 18.9% in June 2019, with an overall growth of 12.7% when compared with the same month a year earlier.
Online retail sales hit highest level in 3 years thanks to Amazon Prime Day
Online sales rose 6.9 per cent throughout July, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), marking the biggest rise online spend since May 2016.
Retailers predict 28% year-on-year revenue growth during peak season, despite challenges
Retailers are anticipating a successful holiday season, despite a challenging 2018, according to brand new research released today by Yieldify, a customer journey optimisation company.
UK ‘leads the world’ in online shopping, with over a third of consumers buying online multiple times a week
UK consumers do significantly more shopping online than those in the rest of Europe, Australia and the US, with a third of thos in Britain buying online at least once a week.
Most retailers worry about Amazon pricing threat
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/most-retailers-worry-about-amazon-pricing-threat/
Nearly three-quarters of retailers are worried they’re going to be outpriced by Amazon, with 41% of those “very concerned.”
Store visits down again as weak consumer confidence trumped July’s good weather
Overall footfall was down by 1.9% compared to the previous July, when footfall was down by 0.9%, according to the BRC-Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor for July 2019. The report said that was the worst decline for July since 2012.
Female Gen Z shoppers defy gender stereotypes more than any other generation: study
Female Gen Z-ers are defying shopping gender norms more than any other generation of women, according to a new study.
The festive shopping season begins today, with eBay seeing searches for Christmas movies and clothes starting to grow from this week
Searches for “Christmas” in the DVD, Films and TV category on ebay.co.uk shot up by almost two thirds (63%) during the second week of August last year, compared to the week before
UK shoppers fighting back against online retailers who fail to deliver a good experience
UK consumers are fighting back against online retailers that fail to deliver, a new research report into what the UK public expects from retailers when shopping online has found.
Audio
How to Make Your Brand’s Podcast Soar to Top of the Charts
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2019/08/brand-podcast-soar/
One of the biggest changes to podcasting over the past decade has been the emergence of brands as podcasters. It’s no longer a media channel dominated by entrepreneurial, solo podcasters bringing the world their big ideas.
Voice, AI and Tech
60% of UK smart speaker owners have purchased by voice, but most feel they want more
However, nearly half – 45% to be precise – feel that they aren’t really getting the most from these devices – presenting a huge opportunity for retailers.
Why virtual reality needs to become the new reality for marketers
Virtual reality (VR), an immersive computing technology that submerges consumers in a virtual world, is predicted to completely transform the shopping experience. Goldman Sachs estimates that investments in VR, along with augmented reality, will reach a staggering $1.6 billion by 2025.
Opinion
Four ways to boost brand engagement
https://internetretailing.net/themes/four-ways-to-boost-brand-engagement-19885
Retailers that take the time to strike up and engage in conversations with existing and potential customers stand out
Amazon’s Doug Gurr: “Future of retail is not a competition between the high street and online”
Amazon’s UK country manager says ecommerce and high street retailers should work “hand-in-hand to drive growth”.
Why shoppers need assistance and guidance
https://internetretailing.net/selling/why-shoppers-need-assistance-and-guidance-19882
Online shoppers have a much wider range of choice available at the click of a button. They have access to more retailers and products than ever before, making choosing the right products even more challenging.
