Guest comment: Into the future – online retail

It’s time for retailers to get online, says Chris Webster, vice president, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini, who advises on how to make the most of the opportunities that internet sales have to offer. Related news GUEST OPINION iPad and the future of retailing Guest comment: Mastering website performance to combat abandoned transactions Guest Comment: What’s in store for multi-channel retail? Internet Retailing  Read More

Guest comment: Getting up close and personal

Andy Piscina, UK sales director of hybris software takes a look at the evolving online customer recognition landscape and its effect on customer engagement. He explores why leading e-retailers are turning to automated personalisation solutions to build stronger customer relationships and maximise revenues Related news Guest comment: Online product recommendations – five steps to improving profitability Guest comment: While supplies last Guest comment: Creating a memorable... Read More

Guest comment: Forget high street vs online – it’s all about cross-channel

Today what matters in retailing isn’t a battle between online and high street shopping, but how successfully the two channels join up, argues Frank Lord, VP, EMEA at ATG. Related news One in four high street shoppers buy online instead Online Shoppers Want Better Cross-Channel Integration High street ‘tax’ makes goods 31% more expensive than online Internet Retailing  Read More

Guest comment: The Real Value of Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is built on the idea that the last click wins the credit for converting a customer. But, argues Kevin Edwards, strategy director at Digital Window, this overlooks the very real contribution of other marketing methods to the result. Is it time this changed? Related news UK affiliate marketing sector now worth more than £4bn Affiliates are keeping positive — but say merchants could do more BLM Quantum adds affiliate marketing to personal blogs and Facebook... Read More

Editor’s comment

Taking steps to joined-up retailing Today’s newsletter seems to underline the difference that successful multichannel retailing is making to those retailers that are really doing it well. First, we have the story of John Lewis, whose e-commerce channel, johnlewis.com saw sales rise by 36% in the first half of the year. And then we have the story of Argos, which has teamed up with online delivery firm Shutl to offer a pledge of delivering goods ordered through its Check ‘n... Read More

Guest comment: Monetisation: a simple concept for unlocking new revenue from existing customers

by Martin Child When Sir Tim Berners-Lee was sitting in his computer science lab in the early 90s, inventing the World Wide Web, I doubt even he could have foreseen the dramatic change the internet was going to have on the retail landscape over the last fifteen years – and he is undoubtedly one of the greatest living geniuses. Not even a genius would have placed a bet on Woolworths having to leave our high streets. And who could have predicted that so many people would... Read More

Guest comment: While supplies last

by Kara Trivunovic These days, everyone is looking for a great bargain, and why not? The world of online shopping has made it easier than ever to comparison shop. Plus, it’s immediate and completely accessible. Even in shaky economic times, consumers are looking to spend – they just want to get more for their money. Factor in the rise of member-based, limited-time, designer sales sites, and shoppers are in virtual shopping heaven. Confessions of an online shopaholic... Read More

Guest comment: Make your website searchable inside and out

by Steve Davis As an established high street name, your customers need to be in a position where they can easily find your name at the top of search results. For this reason, you need to have an effective search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy in place. Here are some tips to stay ahead of the game: Brainstorm your brand’s keywords: This is the first thing your team needs to do during SEO, but don’t fall into the trap of considering “brand” terms first. Instead, try... Read More

Guest comment: Online product recommendations – five steps to improving profitability

by Darren Vengroff Online product recommendations have been around for almost as long as e-commerce itself. Most online retailers today offer some type of product recommendation on their sites, but the truth is that many are not making the most of the opportunity. They plunk recommendations down on product pages, do little to monitor performance, cross their fingers and hope that sales will increase a bit. Often there is an initial spike in conversion, but performance tends... Read More

Guest comment: How CRM can improve your e-commerce site

By Amanda Squires Although more and more people are shopping online, the rise of price comparison sites and a tough economy mean that consumers are generally spending less, but are simultaneously more informed about what they are buying. While price discounting may help drive sales in the short-term this cannot be the cornerstone of a customer acquisition and retention strategy if online retailers want to achieve their long-term goals. For this they need to implement a thorough... Read More