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Amazon has been experimenting with the pop-up store concept for a number of years. They have opened up dozens of locations in malls all over the United States. It looks like Amazon intends on opening 30 new locations all over the United States so people can easily buy Kindle e-Readers, Fire Tablets and Echo Speakers for the holidays. Amazon is on a hiring spree to find temporary and permanent employees, which suggests that the stores could be semi-permanent installations. They are looking for staff in Texas, Washington, New York, Florida and dozens of other States. Additionally, it looks like Amazon is also looking to hire a major executive to oversee all of the pop-up stores and implement a unified strategy, design and stock each location with more products. Having a dedicated person in charge is a good move if Amazon plans on expanding this program in the coming years....
The cost of e-commerce is weighing heavily on brick-and-mortar retailers, who have successfully increased digital sales but thinned their margins in the process, according to a new study from retail strategy firm HRC Advisory released Tuesday.
That shift has led operating earnings as a percentage of sales to decline by up to 25%, in part due to the major investments retailers are making in e-commerce and omnichannel plus the higher cost of e-commerce fulfillment, the study found. Returns of online orders are particularly expensive and returned merchandise is difficult to resell at full value, HRC added.
Although brick-and-mortar retailers have successfully increased their digital efforts, momentum is slowing. Online sales growth for 11 public department store chains fell from 39.3% in 2012 to 18.6% in 2015, HRC said, while the online sales growth rate for 22 specialty stores declined from 17.5% in 2012 to 9% last year....
Coined by the fearless leader and editor of “The Robin Report,” Robin Lewis, “The race to the bottom” is now the perfect catchall phrase for the dynamic we see at play now. (Full disclosure: I have valued Robin’s work for over 25 years, and think he is a complete visionary.)
The phrase not only refers to a price proposition, but also to the value proposition that I call “emotional gross margin” or EGM. EGM is the intangible value when you appeal to a consumer in ways beyond the product value. When you dilute your EGM, all you have left is a commodity. And everyone has commodities. The reality today is that we have created an experience for the consumer that is contributing to the dilution of an emotional gross margin. The diminishment of this so-important value proposition is creating an unending cycle that feeds on itself, further diluting the emotional connection.
You can now buy clothing for less than you pay for pizza at Dominos. The commoditization of apparel has finally hit its stride. Clothing is now the new fast food. And we digest it just as fast, or even faster.
At the same time, the consumer is smart enough to know that the price tag on a garment is simply a placeholder for an inevitable discount. By price promoting in this way, we have created an environment that has no end game and is jeopardizing our customers’ trust in our brands, it’s a game of chicken and we always blink....
Not every retailer had a great 2015. Some brands seriously struggled.
These are some brands that did not fare too well — many suffered from low sales and misguided sartorial choices. Some companies filed for bankruptcy.
Here's hoping 2016 will be better for them....
On Wednesday, October 21st the ecommerce UK event titled “The Year Ahead” was held in London. Top retailers spoke about which future trends to focus on and how to secure sales growth in 2016.
Should you offer free delivery or click-and-collect? Online-only ranges? Personalised email marketing? Launch a loyalty app? Run a customer feedback programme?
With the endless options to choose from, leading retailers spoke about what they actually think is worth investing in, and where they expect their growth to come from in the next 12 months. In the panel discussion, Practicology’s CCO Jeremy Wilson posed an interesting question to Jaeger, Selfridges and Baker Ross...
Zip. Zazzle. Wow. These are all intimated psychological reactions in consumers that should occur when they visit your online store. But adding these to the mixing bowl when baking your ecommerce cake can prove to be troublesome. We’ll help you cut to chase with these 18 easy ways that you can make your home page snap, crackle, pop (no silly elves required).
These days, companies realize the importance of getting their message out on social media to consumers. With so many social networks to use, how do you know ones will be best for your brand?
SimilarWeb looked at U.S. social metrics of different e-commerce companies over the last 6 months (February – July, 2015). Here’s a look at seven ecommerce websites that are killing it on social....
Data released by the Commerce Department shows that American consumers are putting what little extra money they do have to spend each month into eating out, upgrading their cars or fixing up their homes, as well as spending on sports gear, health and beauty. Spending at restaurants and bars has jumped more than 9 percent this year through July compared with the same period last year, and on autos by more than 7 percent, according to the agency.
U.S. Economy Grew at 2.3% Rate in 2nd QuarterJULY 30, 2015
Analysts say a wider shift is afoot in the mind of the American consumer, spurred by the popularity of a growing body of scientific studies that appear to show that experiences, not objects, bring the most happiness. The Internet is bursting with the “Buy Experiences, Not Things” type of stories that could give retailing executives nightmares....
It is true? Myth or reality? Well extensive research and customer surveys have produced mind boggling evidence that online stores actually work as an essential counterpart for boosting in-store sales of many businesses which have online representation.
Consumers interested in purchasing products often get sidelined with alternatives and comparable products online with good product presentation and conclusively, refuse to buy the product. However, the same customer is rejuvenated after seeing the product in reality while walking in a local store. The result is offline purchase!...
This sort of “blogging is dead, especially for business” thinking as shared in Beyond Blogging: 13 Content Marketing Opportunities for Ecommerce by Linda Bustos drives me nuts: Remember when business...
Via Deanna Dahlsad
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TVs sold on Amazon.com were 15% less on the Friday after Thanksgiving than they were on Prime Day 2015, Market Track finds. Amazon.com Inc.’s second annual Prime Day promotion takes place July 12, but if last year is any indication, shoppers might be better off waiting until later in the year for the best deals. A report from retailer pricing, advertising and promotions tracking firm Market Track finds that on Black Friday 2015, televisions were 15% cheaper compared to Prime Day. Video games, meanwhile, were 12% cheaper on the day after Thanksgiving than Prime Day, which last year was on Wednesday, July 15. Amazon Prime is Amazon’s annual subscription where shoppers pay $99 and receive perks such as free expedited shipping. Market Track examined the prices of nearly 400 items on both Prime Day and Black Friday 2015 across five categories: TVs, video games, laptops, small appliances and tablets. Of the five categories studied, small appliances had the least difference in pricing, with those items 3% cheaper on Black Friday than on Prime Day. Overall, all categories studied were cheaper on Black Friday than they were on Prime Day....
The retail model of the future will be a radically different experience from today, largely driven by the changing shopping demands of the younger hyper-connected consumer. Bricks-and-mortar retailing will remain to be a very significant part in retail, however the lines between channels will erode at the benefit of both the customer and the business. Advances in technology will significantly improve the relationships between retailers and customers, much the way analytics is already doing to online shopping.
Real opportunity lies in responding to this change, focusing on delivering a truly integrated and seamless omni-channel experience. The future of retail is an exciting one, and over the next few years we expect to see a number of key developments taking place in stores around the globe...
As the 2016 year comes barreling towards us, it’s essential to look back at what you’e done with your business in order to establish a plan for the unexpected ahead. Even evaluating your entire ecommerce system is a wise choice, considering companies change, prices go up and offerings are not always what they once were.
Yes, the new year is a time for reevaluation, and the ecommerce world is no stranger to that. Therefore, keep reading to learn about the ten most interesting ecommerce trends for 2016 and beyond....
This holiday shopping season, customers are increasingly avoiding brick-and-mortar stores in favor of buying online, according to a new report on consumer shopping patterns commissioned by Salesforce titled “2015 Connected Shoppers Report."
In fact, 88 percent of shoppers who avoid going to physical stores during the holiday season do so due to the crowds (82 percent), limited parking (48 percent), convenience of online shopping (48 percent) and a lack of knowledge/service from seasonal employees (24 percent). One of the study's key results is that retailers are failing to leverage technology to create multichannel experiences for shoppers.
The Millennial Divide
“As Black Friday approaches, and with more than $950 billion expected to be spent this holiday season in the United States, new research from Salesforce shows that in order to succeed, retailers need to accelerate digital transformations to provide personalized, 1-to-1 customer journeys for customers,” the company said in a statement....
Key takeawaysDigital payments make up 53% of all transactions in Australia (and rising).
Convenience of digital payments rates highly with customers, but security does not.
Retailers have the opportunity to enhance user experience and reward customers by working with payment providers to gain insights from data.
The looming growth in digital payments offers many opportunities for retailers to understand and reward their customer, says a new Strategy& report....
The new avatar of shopping is evident with eCommerce squeezing in stealthily. Though, the online retail shopping is yet to have a sizable chunk of the total retail market the digital medium definitely has an impact on the offline shopping as well.
According to the latest Nielsen report, about half of products buying decisions people make are spontaneous and unplanned. This provides brands an ample opportunity to influence and connect people online that could eventually drive them to non-replenish purchase.
The report highlights online elements that influence non-replenish purchases and what are the top online activities of shoppers before they actually hit the store. It reveals that online resources – includes hearing and researching on social media, looking on retail websites, looking at brand manufacturer website, looking on coupon websites – have a greater impact on such non-replenish purchases than recommendation or ads. Nearly 7% of time shoppers recall using such online resources....
Global e-commerce generates more than $1.2 million in revenue every 30 seconds, according to a new report from the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) and Deloitte.
Further, the study found, social networks are contributing significantly to this revenue. Social media pages provide information regarding new products in the market, user reviews and ratings of the product, recommendations, and increasingly, the ability to buy directly from the site, rather than requiring a visit to a retailer's dedicated e-commerce site.
"Social media also helps e-tailers to build brand awareness by responding to customer queries," said D.S. Rawat, secretary general of ASSOCHAM. "Seasonal sales and offers are displayed in social networks to reach maximum number of people. E-tailers have even started to motivate customers with reward points to provide feedback on the product on social networks. Prospective customers also interact with users of the product or service on social networks before making purchase decision."...
If you haven’t heard of Shop Jeen, that’s because you’re not a 19-year-old with pastel-pink hair and an iPhone plastered in emoji stickers. Crop tops are probably not your favorite separate, and four-inch platform sneakers are not your go-to footwear. The Generation Z–whispering web shop, founded three years ago by a New Yorker named Erin Yogasundram, now 23, from her George Washington University dorm room, should come with a seizure warning — and maybe even a trigger warning.
Type in shopjeen.com, and a Japanese music video for a band called Ladybaby might automatically start blasting, while the home page quivers with GIFs of LED-lit high-tops and tank tops that say ASK YOUR BOYFRIEND HOW MY ASS TASTE.
This is what cool looks like right now for a particular subset of 14-to-22-year-olds. It’s a visual language that’s basically early-internet clip art on crack — like the work of artists Cory Arcangel and Ryan Trecartin brought to the masses via Tumblr, co-opted by the storeVFiles, and now sold to young people in the form of $32 hats that say YES, DADDY?...
Wal-Mart Stores said Tuesday that online sales broke company records, with more than 1.5 billion pages viewed on Walmart.com between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday. The retailer said mobile sales accounted for about 70 percent of traffic to Walmart.com during the period.
Wal-Mart also said same-day pickups set records too, with orders up 70 percent from the same period last year.
But online sales across the board for retailers grew a smaller-than-expected 8 percent on Cyber Monday after web promotions before and during the Thanksgiving weekend robbed business from what has traditionally been the busiest day of the year for Internet shopping.
As of 6 p.m. EST Monday, data from IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark showed Cyber Monday sales grew sharply slower than comScore data over the weekend which showed a 32 percent rise in online orders on Thanksgiving and 26 percent on Black Friday.
Cyber Monday sales were projected to rise between 13-15 percent. The results highlight the waning importance of traditional shopping days like Cyber Monday and Black Friday, which until a few years ago kicked off the holiday shopping season....
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Amazon plans to open more than 100 pop-up stores across the US.