The figures are in for 2014’s ecommerce sales, and U.S. online retailers are celebrating their most successful trading year in history. According to new figures released by the Commerce Department, last year web sales reached $304.91 billion – marking the first time online spending has passed the £300 billion mark since records began in 2004. It seems the growing trend towards ecommerce is accelerating at a rapid pace, as Q4 saw the greatest level of interaction; digital activity … [Read more...]

If there’s one aspect of online shopping that has challenged retailers most, it’s shipping. Managing increasing consumer expectations regarding timing and flexibility of order dispatch, without draining profits made from purchases, is an on-going battle – especially considering fulfillment trends are constantly evolving. In fact, during the course of this year, the shipping landscape is set to change again, with new issues coming to the fore. Here are 3 major trends we predict will impact … [Read more...]

U.S. retail sales fell sharply during January, driven by a 0.8% drop in petrol and car sales, new figures released by Commerce Department have revealed. These results have puzzled industry experts, as the declining price of gasoline was expected to prompt MORE spending. However, it seems consumers want to save, rather than splurge, their additional disposable income. What makes it even more unusual is the fact that employment levels have risen consecutively for the past 11 months, with an … [Read more...]

Retailers using a multi-channel eBay order management system have achieved more than $1 billion sales, the online marketplace has announced. The explosion in multi-channel shopping over recent years has created new fulfillment dilemmas for retailers that have both an online and bricks and mortar presence – known as omni-channel. Ebay’s order management solution enables retailers to allocate stock not only from their online resources, but also fulfill from stores in order to meet customer … [Read more...]

Online shopping has a lot of consumer benefits: wider product range, quick retail convenience, delivery to your door (often complimentary) - to name a few. However, there are aspects where U.S. shoppers feel retailers could improve digital experiences. Customer service is the number one area in which ecommerce retailers should be focusing greater resources, America’s online shoppers believe. According to a recent study, many consumers feel brands aren’t reaching out to them online in the … [Read more...]

The path to worldwide online success is becoming less defined, with many retailers picking models and markets that suit their needs, rather than following the path being tread by others. However, there are some overarching trends in global ecommerce that all e-tailers can benefit from knowing – and international analyst Forrester has pulled together some of those together. If you’re wondering how to expand your online business in 2015, here are 5 developments worth bearing in mind: Look … [Read more...]

Russia is a divisive country right now when it comes to online retailing. Political turbulence and frequent changes to legislation have led it to be considered a risky prospect for some ecommerce companies, yet, for others, there are a number of strong cases to be made for testing the Baltic waters. We’ve looked at ecommerce success in France and the UK in recent blog posts, and now we’re turning our attention to Russia. If you’re still sitting on the fence about this powerful nation, here … [Read more...]