With tighter coronavirus restrictions forcing increasing numbers of Christmas shoppers online this year, compliance authority Bureau Veritas is advising retailers and logistics firms to prepare for the extra health, safety and hygiene risks this rise in festive e-commerce sales will bring.
Internet Retailing, Omnichannel Retailing
Internet retailing, also known as e-tailing, is the sale of goods and services through the internet. It can include business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) sales of products and services. Online shopping or e-shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser. Internet retailers can be purely digital, meaning there is no physical store for a customer to enter. However, an e-retail business can also be a brick-and-mortar shop with an online presence. Omnichannel retailing is a retail strategy that integrates multiple channels, such as brick-and-mortar stores, online stores, and mobile apps, to create a seamless shopping experience for customers.
New Covid ‘red alert’ plans: Britain’s couriers prepare once more for the front door to become the front line
Oct 13, 2020
At the height of the coronavirus national lockdown in March, the Government prioritised delivery drivers as key workers. Under the Government’s new three-stage ‘traffic light’ coronavirus alert plans – which could be introduced as early as Thursday – Britain’s delivery drivers are again bracing for the front door’s return to the front line in the battle against Covid.
Retailers set for Christmas scramble as second wave of COVID-19 drives consumers online only
Oct 06, 2020
Online sales will be critical to retailers’ survival over the festive period, as the second-wave of COVID-19 measures hit, according to new research from logistics platform 7bridges and YouGov.
Sendcloud e-commerce shipping platform launches in the UK
Oct 05, 2020
Sendcloud, an all-in-one shipping platform for e-commerce businesses, has launched into the UK market.
COVID was a surprise – Christmas should not be
Sep 30, 2020
Ian Hall, COO at Atheon Analytics, provider of the SKUtrak platform, shares 3 things to plan now, to maximise Christmas sales in grocery retail.
None of us foresaw COVID, and the impact it would have on panic buying. It feels like a lifetime ago that the shelves had no toilet roll and pasta. But you don’t have to be a retail expert to foresee an uplift in turkeys, alcohol, and mince pies this December.
Ideal Shopping Direct blasts through bullish forecasts
Sep 30, 2020
Ideal Shopping Direct (ISD), the UK multi-channel home shopping retailer and owner of the Create and Craft and Ideal World TV channel, reports that it has achieved a significant turnaround in the past 12 months; £6.5m profit, 30% ahead of the £5m it predicted earlier in the year.
Minelli speeds up shift towards digital retailing with Cegid's unified commerce platform
Sep 30, 2020
Retail software vendor, Cegid, has signed a new deal to completely overhaul the IT systems at French footwear retailer, Minelli, in a bid to streamline the business and improve the shopping experience for customers.
Clarins gets a personalisation make-over, thanks to real-time marketing solution from Wunderkind
Sep 29, 2020
Prestige skincare and makeup brand, Clarins, has driven online performance and grown email revenue thanks to a solution from Wunderkind (formerly BounceX), the behavioural marketing technology provider.
How COVID has changed our relationship with waste
Sep 29, 2020
Aside from being a traumatic time for all, COVID-19 has changed the trajectory of the world. For one, before the pandemic, it had finally seemed possible to imagine a future without plastic. But, with a global pandemic on our hands, there’s been a need for rigid sanitation and some rapid adaptations to our daily life. With this, our plastic usage has been creeping back up.
Why an Omnichannel Strategy for Retailers as Important as Ever
Sep 23, 2020
By Ed Smith,freelance writer
Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, you may have read that offline marketing channels such as billboards had seen a significant spike in demand over the last few years.
Internet Retailing
Internet retailing, also known as e-tailing or online retailing, is the sale of goods and services over the internet. It is a type of electronic commerce (e-commerce) that allows consumers to purchase products and services directly from retailers without having to visit a physical store.
Internet retailers can sell a wide variety of products, including clothing, electronics, books, home goods, and more. They can also offer a variety of services, such as online payments, shipping, and returns.
There are many different types of internet retailers, including:
- Pure-play retailers: These retailers only sell products online. They do not have any physical stores.
- Multichannel retailers: These retailers sell products both online and in physical stores.
- Marketplaces: These retailers provide a platform for other retailers to sell their products.
Internet retailing has become increasingly popular in recent years. In 2022, global e-commerce sales were estimated to be $4.9 trillion. This number is expected to continue to grow in the coming years.
There are many reasons for the growth of internet retailing. Some of the reasons include:
- The convenience of shopping online.
- The wider selection of products available online.
- The lower prices that can often be found online.
- The ability to shop from anywhere in the world.
Internet retailing has a number of advantages for both consumers and retailers. For consumers, it offers the convenience of shopping from home, the ability to compare prices from different retailers, and the opportunity to find products that are not available in physical stores. For retailers, it offers the opportunity to reach a wider audience, reduce costs, and improve customer service.
However, there are also some challenges associated with internet retailing. Some of the challenges include:
- The need to protect customer data.
- The need to ensure that products are delivered on time and in good condition.
- The need to provide effective customer service.
Omnichannel retailing
Omni-Channel Retailing is the evolution of Multi-Channel Retailing, but is concentrated more on a seamless approach to the consumer experience through all available shopping channels, i.e. mobile internet devices, computers, brick-and-mortar, television, radio, direct mail, catalog and so on. Retailers are meeting the new customer demands by deploying specialized supply chain strategy software. To use all channels simultaneously, retailers using an omni- channel approach will track customers across all channels, not just one or two.
Omnichannel retailing is a retail strategy that integrates multiple channels, such as brick-and-mortar stores, online stores, and mobile apps, to create a seamless shopping experience for customers. This means that customers can start their shopping journey on one channel and seamlessly transition to another channel without having to start over.
For example, a customer might start by browsing for products on a retailer's website, then use the retailer's mobile app to compare prices, and finally visit a brick-and-mortar store to make a purchase. The retailer would track the customer's journey across all channels and make sure that the customer's information is consistent across all channels.
Omnichannel retailing is becoming increasingly important as more and more customers are using multiple channels to shop. A study by Salesforce found that 73% of customers use multiple channels during their shopping journey.
There are many benefits to omnichannel retailing, including:
- Increased customer satisfaction: Customers appreciate being able to shop however they want, and they are more likely to be satisfied with their shopping experience if they can seamlessly transition between channels.
- Increased sales: Omnichannel retailers are able to reach more customers and sell more products by offering their products and services across multiple channels.
- Improved customer loyalty: Omnichannel retailers are able to build stronger relationships with their customers by providing them with a more personalized and convenient shopping experience.
