Blog and Research Digest — Week 03
Every week, the Digishare team prepare a digest of the previous 7 days of online retail news. Along the way, we’ll pick the most interesting stories from the worlds of technology, social media, marketing and more, allowing you to see everything at a glance.
Retail News and Trends
Online sales up but it is still ‘worst year on record’ for retail, warns downbeat post-peak BRC assessment
https://internetretailing.net/industry/online-sales-up-but-it-is-still-worst-year-on-record-for-retail-warns-downbeat-post-peak-brc-assessment-20777
“Assessment of the retail market in the UK for 2019 makes grim reading: total sales for 2019 decreased by 0.1%, compared with a 1.2% growth in 2018, making it the worst year on record, says the British Retail Consortium (BRC).”
Consumer spending grows just 1% in December as rise in consumer confidence fails to boost festive spending
https://internetretailing.net/industry/consumer-spending-grows-just-1-in-december-as-rise-in-consumer-confidence-fails-to-boost-festive-spending-20779
“Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, reveals that spending on essentials declined 0.9% in December, with supermarkets contracting by 0.9% compared with December 2018. Petrol expenditure also fell by 0.5%.”
Store automation could help save the high street, says new report
https://internetretailing.net/themes/store-automation-could-help-save-the-high-street-says-new-report-20792
“Automating physical stores could resolve some of the biggest customer frustrations with the channel while cutting costs for retailers, according to a Capgemini report.”
Marks & Spencer Christmas sales dip – but it says its move towards digital is making progress
https://internetretailing.net/peak/marks–spencer-christmas-sales-dip—but-it-says-its-move-towards-digital-is-making-progress-20784
“Marks & Spencer says its Christmas trading figures shows the ongoing progress of its transformation strategy.”
Yelp cracks down on ‘review rings’ as Google continues to see widespread mapspam
https://searchengineland.com/yelp-cracks-down-on-review-rings-as-google-continues-to-see-widespread-mapspam-327432
“Will the problem of fake listings and reviews destroy trust in major platforms?”
WWD: Amazon to sell luxury fashion
https://www.retaildive.com/news/wwd-amazon-to-sell-luxury-fashion/570199/
“Amazon is planning a luxury apparel platform — to be introduced first in the U.S. and then expanded internationally — and is already working with 12 unnamed brands, according to a report from Women’s Wear Daily citing unnamed industry sources.”
Amazon is said to be preparing a luxury fashion platform
https://qz.com/1781553/amazon-said-to-be-launching-new-luxury-fashion-platform/
“In the first half of 2020, Amazon plans to launch its own digital platform for luxury fashion, according to WWD, a fashion trade publication.”
Ikea ends US sales on Amazon
https://www.retaildive.com/news/ikea-ends-us-sales-on-amazon/569790/
“Ikea has decided to stop selling on Amazon after a U.S. pilot to sell its Smart Lighting products, launched in 2018, ended, a spokesperson with Ingka Group, the retailer’s parent company, confirmed to Retail Dive.”
Almost all retail apps leak personal data, security firm warns
https://www.retaildive.com/news/almost-all-retail-apps-leak-personal-data-security-firm-warns/569939/
“In a review of 250 popular Android mobile apps, including those of retailers, app security firm NowSecure found that 70% leak sensitive personal data, including names, usernames, email, phone numbers, geolocation, account numbers and device identifiers including serial numbers.”
Social
Social media 2020: The top features, formats and trends to get familiar with this year
https://marketingland.com/social-media-2020-the-top-features-formats-and-trends-to-get-familiar-with-this-year-273367
“Video, machine learning, and shoppable posts are among the top trends to look out for in 2020.”
Opinion
Opinion: The 2010s, the decade when retailers started to listen
https://www.retail-week.com/customer/opinion-the-2010s-the-decade-when-retailers-started-to-listen/7033854.article
“The last decade saw many famous retailers go out of business. Names that we grew up with are no longer with us.”
Voice, AR, VR & Tech
Roughly 1 in 4 U.S. adults now owns a smart speaker, according to new report
https://marketingland.com/roughly-1-in-4-u-s-adults-now-owns-a-smart-speaker-according-to-new-report-273994
“It estimates there are now 157 million of these devices in American homes.”
Marketing
Mailchimp claims over 60% share of email industry in latest report
https://marketingland.com/mailchimp-claims-over-60-share-of-email-industry-in-latest-report-273926
“The company reports that customers sent nearly 350 billion emails in 2019.”
Content Marketing 2020: 7 Tips for Creating Content Your Audience Actually Likes
https://contently.com/2020/01/08/content-marketing-2020-tips/
“Instead, we focused on data and insights that you can easily use to create more effective content.”