We’re now less than six months from Christmas, and the majority of retailers are well-advanced in planning how they will handle their busiest time. And with economic conditions little better than in 2012, competition is expected to be intense as shoppers demand more for their money.So what do retailers need to focus on to ensure that Christmas 2013 is a happy one?New research by L2 into spec...
Mobile commerce is growing rapidly. Figures from performance marketing network Affiliate Window showed it made up 18.16% of its UK online sales in May 2013, increasing from 16.48% in April. That’s an enormous 572 sales per hour. Backing this up, the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index saw 2012 mobile sales triple (up 304%) from 2011. More importantly, conversion rates on mobile have doubled,...
The retail landscape is now extremely complex. In an omnichannel world companies need to provide excellent, consistent customer service across a growing range of channels. However retailers don’t always have 100% control of every part of their operations. Logistics are outsourced to courier companies, contact centres can be run by third party providers and the infrastructure behind some new ...
Retailers are facing unprecedented pressures. They need to move to an omnichannel world, providing a consistent and satisfying experience however customers choose to shop while battling poor economic conditions that are putting a brake on consumer spending.Within these overarching challenges, Eptica has identified four key trends that retailers need to act on if they are to survive and grow in the...
Whether through advertising, search engine optimisation or simply building brand recognition companies invest significant resources in driving traffic to their websites. Then the customer journey begins in earnest, as organisations aim to move website visitors from browsers to buyers. Whatever you are selling, from books to insurance, it is vital that customers are guided through the process and p...
Despite the growth of other channels, email is still the first choice for a large number of consumers when it comes to contacting organisations. It provides a full audit trail for customers (and companies) and people often feel it is the best way to raise specific complex or technical questions – provided of course, you get a fast, accurate answer.Independently testing the quality of the ema...
Amidst all the bad news on the high street there is one bright spot when it comes to physical retailing – the shopping centre. Despite national figures that show 1 in 7 British shops are currently unoccupied, there is major growth in high end shopping centres that act as destinations for consumers. In fact rents are rising by 5-6% in larger centres with very few shops left empty and multiple...
With the discovery of horse meat within a number of processed foods, it is no exaggeration to say that the European food industry is facing one of its biggest challenges since the BSE epidemic. While horse meat itself is safe to eat (unless the horse had been treated with particular drugs), consumers believed they were buying beef-based ready meals and burgers from reputable suppliers and supermar...
There are many similarities between banks and retailers. Both sectors have large, geographically spread branch/shop networks, and in many cases are facing the same challenge of balancing online and offline channels to meet changing consumer needs.As part of their strategy retailers have aggressively been moving into new markets – offering everything from insurance, bank accounts and telecoms...
The need for customer service teams to embrace social media is growing, as more and more consumers use the likes of Twitter and Facebook to ask questions, complain and share their experiences of brands. In our own research we’ve seen that more and more UK companies are now making social media part of their strategy. The 2012 Eptica Multichannel Customer Experience Study found that 70% and 64...