Blog and Research Digest — Week 04, 2021

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

2020 becomes the biggest m-commerce shopping year to date, with $115bn spent
https://internetretailing.net/mobile-theme/2020-becomes-the-biggest-m-commerce-shopping-year-to-date-with-115bn-spent-22557
“In the UK, shoppers spent a whopping 51 million hours on shopping apps in one week in November, twice as much as spent by shoppers in Turkey and Germany and more than three times that of France. Only China, the US and Brazil saw more.”

Online retail sales growth hit 13-year high in 2020
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2021/01/online-retail-sales-growth-hit-13-year-high-in-2020/
“Total online retail sales growth for 2020 was up 36 per cent year-on-year – the highest annual growth seen since 2007, according to the IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index.”

Online sales record highest growth for 13 years in 2020: IMRG
https://internetretailing.net/industry/online-sales-record-highest-growth-for-13-years-in-2020-imrg-22546
“This year, the IMRG-Capgemini Online Retail Index, is stepping back from predictions, and says the outlook is too uncertain.”

Ecommerce grew by 46% in 2020 – its strongest growth for more than a decade – but overall retail sales fell by a record 1.9%: ONS
https://internetretailing.net/themes/ecommerce-grew-by-46-in-2020—its-strongest-growth-for-more-than-a-decade–but-overall-retail-sales-fell-by-a-record-19-ons-22603
“Only non-store retailers (+32%) and food (+4.3%) retailers showed overall sales growth – both at record levels – during the year.”

Amazon and Asos lead retailer traffic growth as ecommerce dominates 2020 web use
https://internetretailing.net/industry/amazon-and-asos-lead-retailer-traffic-growth-as-ecommerce-dominates-2020-web-use-22554
“Revealing the top 100 websites of 2020 , The UK Domain has found that while Google dominates – with 31.2 billion visits from the UK in 2020 – many retailers are also high on the list. Amazon and eBay come in at numbers 6 and 8 with 6,49 billion and 4.64 billion visits respectively, while Argos hits the number 20 spot, out-performing the BBC (31) and Tesco (47).”

Amazon continues to be consumers’ favourite brand in 2020, driven by convenience
https://internetretailing.net/marketplaces/amazon-continues-to-be-consumers-favourite-brand-in-2020-driven-by-convenience-22512
“Amazon turned out to be the most mentioned brand when consumers were asked who their favourite brands are, with 15% of consumers naming it, followed by John Lewis (4%), Sainsbury’s (4%), and Tesco (3%).”

Pandemic didn’t deter holiday sales
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/pandemic-didnt-deter-holiday-sales/
“The retail holiday sales in late 2020 hit an unexpected high point given a 8.3% spike compared to the previous year, according to the National Retail Federation.”

Amazon, Walmart dominate shopping app downloads in 2020: report
https://www.retaildive.com/news/amazon-walmart-dominate-shopping-app-downloads-in-2020-report/593094/
“Amazon, Walmart and Wish were the top three most downloaded shopping apps in the U.S. in 2020, according to a new report by Apptopia. Amazon saw 41 million downloads, Walmart 34 million and Wish 30 million.”

Customers may be being “manipulated or misled” by retailers’ algorithms
https://www.chargedretail.co.uk/2021/01/20/customers-may-be-being-manipulated-or-misled-by-retailers-algorithms/
“The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a probe into the widespread use of shopping algorithms by online retailers, which it says is almost entirely unregulated.”

Google trials ability to shop from YouTube videos on mobile
https://internetretailing.net/mobile-theme/google-trials-ability-to-shop-from-youtube-videos-on-mobile-22593
“In the US-based trial, Google is adding a simple shopping basket to the video control panel that lists any products officially in that that video.”

Few consumers are happy with their online shopping experience: report
https://www.retaildive.com/news/few-consumers-are-happy-with-their-online-shopping-experience-report/592194/
“Only 15% of consumers and marketers surveyed across the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland are happy with their online shopping experiences, according to a report from Contentsquare.”

Opinion

Success in ecommerce requires a strong brand, not just a smooth experience
https://www.marketingweek.com/ben-davis-success-ecommerce-requires-strong-brand/
“Customer experience is important, but the problem for high street retailers rushing to ecommerce may be higher up the funnel.”

This Much I Learned: Patagonia’s Alex Weller on the power of purpose
https://www.marketingweek.com/this-much-i-learned-podcast-patagonia-purpose/
“In the latest episode of Marketing Week’s podcast series, Patagonia marketing director for Europe, Alex Weller, discusses how businesses can live up to their purpose and what a Joe Biden administration means for the global climate crisis.”

9 retail trends to watch in 2021
https://www.retaildive.com/news/9-retail-trends-to-watch-in-2021/593146/
“The pandemic will continue to reshape the industry and accelerate trends from consumer preferences to industry norms and structures in the year ahead.”

7 key takeaways from massive online traffic this 2020 holiday season
https://www.retaildive.com/spons/7-key-takeaways-from-massive-online-traffic-this-2020-holiday-season/592838/
“Online retailers knew the 2020 holiday season would be unlike any other. But beyond that, many questions remained.”

Marketing

3 Trends That Could Make Virtual Events Less Awful in 2021
https://contently.com/2020/11/19/3-trends-make-virtual-events-less-awful-2021/
“If there was one common challenge that marketers and media pros faced in 2020—besides periods of existential horror—it was trying to figure out virtual events.”

WTF do B2B tech marketers do when the world is WFH?
https://marketingtechnews.net/news/2020/dec/01/wtf-do-b2b-tech-marketers-do-when-the-world-is-wfh/
“With so many office workers relocating to the kitchen table and swapping the daily commute for a swift walk downstairs, bringing technology solutions to life and showing the human side of connection is crucial for B2B tech marketers looking to win new customers.”

A modern approach to brand building: Empathy, storytelling and alignment
https://marketingtechnews.net/news/2020/nov/25/a-modern-approach-to-brand-building-empathy-storytelling-and-alignment/
“At its core, this approach is about tapping into the wealth of information already owned by your brand, more efficiently and to greater impact.”

Tips to Improve Website Content for Screen Readers
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/12/website-content-screen-readers/
“The first topics we’re working on are the elements important to screen readers – the text-to-speech software that gives voice to your text, images, buttons, etc.”

Activating Empathy: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Market With It
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/12/activating-empathy-manage-measure-market/
“Creating empathetic content requires marketers to shift their focus – from making educated assumptions about their audiences’ transactional needs to cultivating a deeper, more holistic understanding of who they are.”

Lackluster Blog? How This Tech Company Turned Theirs Into a Lead-Generation Engine
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/11/lackluster-blog-lead-generation-content-engine/
“Blogs across industries and verticals are getting fewer leads despite the resources invested in them. And Orbit Media research shows that 52% of bloggers say it’s getting harder to get readers to engage with their content.”

8 Unconventional Ways to Generate Qualified B2B Sales Leads
https://moz.com/blog/generate-qualified-b2b-sales-leads
“It’s time to take an unconventional approach to lead generation, especially for B2B companies, because B2B is a different ballgame than B2C — and your strategies need to reflect your audience.”