Blog and Research Digest — Week 06, 2020

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

Store job losses put at almost 10,000 so far in January – while forecasts envisage 19.8% of retail taking place online by 2024
https://internetretailing.net/industry/store-job-losses-put-at-almost-10000-so-far-in-january–while-forecasts-envisage-198-of-retail-taking-place-online-by-2024-20870
“So far in 2020, almost 10,000 jobs in shops have already been lost, according to the Centre for Retail Research. Meanwhile a GlobalData study forecasts that as much as 19.8% of retailing will take place online by 2024.”

Prices continue to fall despite mounting costs, warns BRC
https://internetretailing.net/industry/prices-continue-to-fall-despite-mounting-costs-warns-brc-20880
“January Shop Prices fell by 0.3% compared to a 0.4% decrease in December. This is below the 12-month average of 0.0% and above the six-month average price decrease of 0.5%, warns the British Retail Consortium (BRC), as part of the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index for January 2020”

Amazon one-day delivery fuels sales boom — and shipping ambition
https://www.retaildive.com/news/amazon-one-day-delivery-fuels-sales-boom-and-shipping-ambition/571455/
“Amazon on Thursday reported that fourth quarter net product sales rose year over year to $50.5 billion from $44.7 billion.”

Amazon’s Q4 a big earnings win thanks to Prime, grocery and same-day delivery
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/amazons-q4-a-big-earning-win-thanks-to-prime-grocery-and-same-day-delivery-2/
“On the international front, Amazon plans to spend $1 billion to help digitize trades and micro, small and medium-sized businesses in India. The company has a goal of reaching 10 million MSMBs online by 2025.”

Amazon says it now has more than 150m Prime members as it reports a 20% lift in full-year sales
https://internetretailing.net/strategy-and-innovation/amazon-says-it-now-has-more-than-150m-prime-members-as-it-reports-a-20-lift-in-full-year-sales-20887
“Amazon’s growth also comes as hundreds of millions of customers now have Alexa-enabled voice assistant devices that can support voice commerce. These customers, it said, interact with Alexa billions of times a week.”

Majority of younger shoppers will choose a sustainable retailer over a less sustainable one, research shows
https://internetretailing.net/sustainability/majority-of-younger-shoppers-will-choose-a-sustainable-retailer-over-a-less-sustainable-one-research-shows-20875
A majority of consumers (51%) aged between 16 and 34 would be more likely to shop with a retailer that has made consistent efforts to be sustainable over one that has not.

More than a quarter of shoppers now discover new brands through podcast advertising
https://internetretailing.net/marketing/more-than-a-quarter-of-shoppers-now-discover-new-brands-through-podcast-advertising-20876
“Some 27% of weekly podcasts listeners are discovering new brands and products through podcasts advertising. In addition, 59% of listeners find marketing they hear via podcasts/radio relevant. They are also using voice devices a lot more.”

Mobile

US shoppers spent 68% more on mobile during peak 2019 compared to 2018
https://internetretailing.net/mobile-theme/us-shoppers-spent-68-more-on-mobile-during-peak-2019-compared-to-2018-20877
“The good news is that the 2019 holiday season saw much stronger results than 2018’s: shoppers spent an average of $197, a 17% increase from 2018, and their average order value was $59, a 23% increase from 2018.”

Retailers see 42% of online sales from mobile devices, study says
https://www.retaildive.com/news/retailers-see-42-of-online-sales-from-mobile-devices-study-says/571145/
“Retailers are generating 42% of their online sales from mobile devices such as smartphones, with 65% saying mobile technology has increased revenue, according to a study from messaging software company Quiq.”

Opinion

Opinion: Want to beat Amazon? Then don’t be mediocre
https://www.retail-week.com/online-retail/opinion-want-to-beat-amazon-then-dont-be-mediocre/7034060.article
“Holiday trading was “particularly strong from mid-November onwards”, according to chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky. Amazon exceeded not only its own expectations but those of analysts. So what is Amazon doing right, what can other retailers learn and how can they possibly compete?”

SEO

Google’s January 2020 Core Update: Has the Dust Settled?
https://moz.com/blog/googles-january-2020-core-update
“It appears that the dust has mostly settled on the January 2020 Core Update. Interpreting core updates can be challenging, but are there any takeaways we can gather from the data?”

Marketing

7 Ways to Unite Your Content Team in a Remote Work World [Tools]
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/01/unite-remote-content-team/
“Regular work-from-home employment (not self-employment) has grown 173% since 2005. And 3.4% of the workforce works from home at least half of the time, according to data posted by Global Workplace Analytics.”

How to Create Interactive Tools That Captivate Your Audience
https://contently.com/2020/01/23/how-to-create-interactive-tools-that-captivate-your-audience/
“This all creates a memorable (and ongoing) relationship with your brand. Then, when the user needs the product or service you offer, there’s a good chance they’ll think of you first.”