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...]

Just days after we reported UK ecommerce sales passing the £100 billion barrier for the first time, European online shopping is about to hit another milestone. The French Ecommerce Federation (FEVAD) has predicted that France’s ecommerce sales will hit €62.4 billion by the end of the year – marking a 10% growth in the industry during the space of 12 months. France now has the 6th largest ecommerce market globally, with only the UK and Germany demonstrating greater maturity in … [Read more...]

Online fraud is on the rise, and e-tailers who fail to maximize their security processes are leaving themselves open to serious information breaches – that’s the warning from the U.S. government. Cyber-crime is now top of the political agenda, with President Obama noting in a recent speech that preventing online fraud is a matter of national economic priority. In fact, legislation is due to be passed this year to protect online businesses, by enabling the private sector to share more … [Read more...]

If you’re one of the few retail businesses that still need convincing about the power of mobile, look no further than recently released stats surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday. According to online electrical goods firm AO.com, mobile traffic on these two promotional days alone increased by 35% - and that’s just one retailer’s story. It’s not just direct sales traffic being lifted by mobile interactions, either; the majority of digital conversations surrounding Black Friday and … [Read more...]

The term ecommerce is often associated with large retail brands, but the accessibility of digital shopping platforms is opening up opportunities to smaller firms – as new statistics have proven. According to a new report, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey increased their profits by 30% between 2013 and 2014, by investing in the user experience customers receive through their online channels. It’s not just Turkey where ecommerce investment is having a positive effect; across the … [Read more...]

Here’s a story that will interest of anyone trading within, or looking to launch in, the UK – ecommerce sales broke the £100 billion barrier for the first time in 2014. According to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, online shopping grew 14% in Britain last year, with a further 12% growth predicted for 2015. Christmas proved a particularly strong period for ecommerce brands operating in the UK, with activity up 13% on the previous years. In total, consumers spent £21.6 billion during … [Read more...]