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
Nearly half of consumers will buy holiday gifts on Amazon
https://www.retaildive.com/news/nearly-half-of-consumers-will-buy-holiday-gifts-on-amazon/566061/
The survey of 4,500 online shoppers also found that 32% of online shoppers begin their holiday shopping on Amazon and 18% of them start their search on Google.
Amazon is dominating the holiday price war
https://www.retaildive.com/news/amazon-is-dominating-the-holiday-price-war/566055/
With the holiday sales season underway, Amazon is pricing 20% below other online retailers on average in key product categories, according to a study by Profitero, which provides e-commerce performance analytics.
Shorter holiday season won’t dampen e-commerce sales with revenue expected to surpass $143 billion
Adobe predicts a 14% lift in ecommerce sales this holiday season, with consumers spending more than $9 billion on Cyber Monday alone.
Price wars, investment costs dampen Moody’s outlook on retail
https://www.retaildive.com/news/price-wars-investment-costs-dampen-moodys-outlook-on-retail/566439/
Moody’s slashed estimates for the retail industry’s performance this year as analysts now anticipate market share battles, as well investments in e-commerce and omnichannel capabilities to cut into profits, according to an emailed report.
Online marketplace spend to reach £39bn in next 5 years
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2019/11/online-marketplace-spend-reach-39bn-next-5-years/
The online marketplace spend is set to rise by £13.1 billion over the next five years.
‘Cyber Week’ will generate 20% of holiday revenue
https://www.retaildive.com/news/cyber-week-will-generate-20-of-holiday-revenue/566156/
The five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday will drive $29 billion in online shopping revenue.
December Election deals latest blow to ‘crucial peak’, experts warn
Retail – like all UK industries – is craving some clarity on Brexit, but calling a general election bang in the middle of peak is not what everyone was looking for. In fact, the timing probably couldn’t be worse.
One in five shoppers to spend less at Christmas
https://www.retail-week.com/data/one-in-five-shoppers-to-spend-less-at-christmas/7033361.article
One-fifth of customers are likely to spend less money with retailers at Christmas this year due to uncertainty around the December general election and Brexit, exclusive Retail Week research has found.
Fake goods surface in up to 60% of Google product searches, study says
Google is among the search engines that show fake and possibly dangerous counterfeit goods in as many as 60% of their search results, putting consumers at risk, per a study by intellectual property and brand protection company Incopro.
Mobile
US shoppers will be heavily mobile this Christmas, doing a third of all sales through devices
This Christmas season, US shoppers will spend $14 billion more on their smartphones compared to last year – accounting for 36% of all online sales – accounting for 57% of all visits, Adobe is predicting.
Mobile-first shopping up 24% in a year, driven by social media, study finds
In response, retailers must equip their social media response teams for the influx of messages they can expect this holiday – 40% more in social messages, to be exact.
Opinion
Is Amazon Unstoppable?
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/21/is-amazon-unstoppable
Politicians want to rein in the retail giant. But Jeff Bezos, the master of cutthroat capitalism, is ready to fight back.
Who does Amazon help the most?
https://qz.com/1734341/who-does-amazon-help-the-most/
Amazon’s leadership thinks politicians have a “misguided understanding of retail” due to their personal experience, according to a recent New Yorker article on the movement to regulate the e-commerce behemoth.
Is ‘digital empathy’ an oxymoron?
https://marketingland.com/is-digital-empathy-an-oxymoron-270036
Empathy can be good business, but only when companies proactively apply it.
