By the year 2020, nearly half of online consumers will have purchased from overseas websites, creating new opportunities for global retailers, according to a recent report from Accenture and AliResearch. They report that consumer purchasing across international borders is going up by 28 percent each year and will climb to $1 trillion by the year 2020. That outpaces overall yearly growth for e-commerce as a whole. While the Asia-Pacific region will generate most of that buying, Latin America … [Read more...]

As our recent social media for ecommerce businesses series has outlined, embracing networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram can positively impact retailers. In fact, the case for being on Facebook in particular just grew significantly. This is because Facebook has acquired The Find, a shopping search engine, in an undisclosed deal. Merging the two companies will enable the social networking site to improve the targeting of its online adverts, meaning users are more likely to only see … [Read more...]

Amazon has launched a new service, aimed at promoting original and desirable items to online shoppers – but how will this impact ecommerce companies currently trading through the site? As of this week, when consumers log onto the market place, they will see a new section called Amazon Exclusives. This area features hot new brands, trendsetters and award winning items, all available through the marketplace. The project is designed to showcase quirky and innovative products to shoppers, at … [Read more...]

Google has announced an important update to its search engine algorithms, which will impact all ecommerce retailers. From April 21st 2015, Google will add a mobile-friendly factor to its search algorithm, to make sure that smartphone and tablet users receive results that are easily viewable on their devices. When the update comes into force next month, mobile friendliness will increase in importance. Google will also start promoting more app content to mobile users, but only to consumers … [Read more...]

So much has happened since November 28th last year that Black Friday is no more than a distant memory in most people’s conscious minds. However, it seems that subconsciously, the one-day promotional event is continuing to influence ecommerce purchasing patterns. New figures released by IMRG and Capgemini’s e-Retail Sales Index have revealed that online sales remain 7% up in the U.S. since the Black Friday. This may seem impressive at first glance, but it falls significantly short of IMRG’s … [Read more...]

Online retailers have already doubled their technology spending between 2010 and 2014 – and that figure will double again by 2019, according to Forrester. Within the next 4 years, expenditure on ecommerce software will reach $2.1 billion among larger organizations in the U.S. alone, the analyst predicts, marking a 12% increase in the current annual growth rate. It’s not just the technology itself that will attract greater investment. Forrester forecasts that five times as much budget will … [Read more...]

  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...]