Blog and Research Digest — Week 43, 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

Online growth continues, prompting retailers to manage peak demand by bringing Christmas offers forward
https://internetretailing.net/peak/online-growth-continues-prompting-retailers-to-manage-peak-demand-by-bringing-christmas-offers-forward-22149
“Online sales grew by 42% year-on-year in September, with multichannel retailers continuing to outperform online-only pureplays as internet shopping becomes a day-to-day habit, new IMRG analysis suggests.”

BRC – KPMG Sales Monitor: September retail sales up 6.1%
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2020/10/brc-kpmg-sales-monitor-resilience-of-british-retailers-has-been-nothing-shy-of-remarkable/
“Covering the five weeks from August 30 to October 3, the BRC – KPMG results found sales were up 5.6 per cent in September on a total basis, against a decline of 0.6 per cent for the same time the year before.”

BRC campaign urges shoppers to start buying early for Christmas online and in-store to spread demand during pandemic
https://internetretailing.net/themes/brc-campaign-urges-shoppers-to-start-buying-early-for-christmas-online-and-in-store-to-spread-demand-during-pandemic-22153
“It aims to prevent the pre-Christmas peak trading rush that has, in recent years, started in mid late November. Instead, it wants to see demand flow more smoothly in order to enable staff to work safely while keeping a social distance amid Covid-19 regulations.”

Big consumer behavior shifts in holiday shopping this year
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/big-consumer-behavior-shifts-in-holiday-shopping-this-year/
“In comparison, less then one in 10 U.K. shoppers, (9%) are budgeting more for this year’s holidays, according to a JRNI survey that polled 2,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers.”

Christmas shopping got underway for many shoppers in September – with 40% of purchases made online, BRC retail figures suggest
https://internetretailing.net/peak/christmas-shopping-got-underway-for-many-shoppers-in-september–with-40-of-purchases-made-online-brc-retail-figures-suggest-22118
“Retail sales grew by 5.6% in total in September compared to the same time last year, with 40.1% of sales taking place online, up from 30.8% a year earlier, according to today’s BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.”

Holiday sales growth won’t reach 2% this year, CBRE says
https://www.retaildive.com/news/holiday-sales-growth-wont-reach-2-this-year-cbre-says/586823/
“As the pandemic’s challenges continue, retailers will see modest sales growth of less than 2% year over year this holiday season, compared to 4.1% growth on average over the last decade, according to commercial real estate firm CBRE.”

Ecommerce start-ups surged during lockdown: Royal Mail
https://internetretailing.net/industry/ecommerce-start-ups-surged-during-lockdown-royal-mail-22150
“Nearly 16,000 new ecommerce businesses were set up during lockdown, the Royal Mail has found. They were the largest single group, as a record 315,000 companies were set up between March and July this year – 7% more than in the same period last year.”

A fifth of UK consumers using social to shop, driven by convenience and boredom
https://internetretailing.net/mobile-theme/a-fifth-of-uk-consumers-using-social-to-shop-driven-by-convenience-and-boredom-22130
“Almost a fifth (17%) of UK consumers are now using social apps to shop, with one in ten (11%) making a purchase this way since lockdown began in March.”

Study: 62% of shoppers that struggle to complete purchases abandon their carts
https://www.retaildive.com/news/study-62-of-shoppers-that-struggle-to-complete-purchases-abandon-their-ca/586749/
“According to a goMoxie survey emailed to Retail Dive, 40% of consumers struggle to do simple tasks on retail websites. More than half of consumers (62%) that struggle to complete a transaction online abandon their cart, the survey found.”

Subscriptions for physical goods to hit $263bn by 2025, overtaking digital subscriptions
https://internetretailing.net/selling/subscriptions-for-physical-goods-to-hit-263bn-by-2025-overtaking-digital-subscriptions–22127
“The market for consumer subscriptions for physical goods will grow from an expected $64 billion in 2020 to more than $263 billion in 2025, a new report from Juniper Research suggests.”

Unprecedented +120% growth in cross-border online sales predicted in October
https://internetretailing.net/international/unprecedented-120-growth-in-cross-border-online-sales-predicted-in-october-22128
“Data from ESW, which is the largest cross-border ecommerce provider globally, suggests that unprecedented sales growth will peak at an average of 135% during the weeks commencing 18th and 25th October 2020.”

Research offers peek at online shopper behavior
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/research-offers-peek-at-online-shopper-behavior/
“When the website does not load quickly or freezes often, 32% ditch the brand, 17% pick up the phone and 12% opt for a live chat.”

Third of UK adults feel vulnerable to fraud when shopping online
https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2020/10/third-of-uk-adults-feel-vulnerable-to-fraud-when-shopping-online/
“A YouGov poll carried out between September 30 and October 1 in support of the Get Safe Online campaign found the UK’s adults have been spending longer 15 per cent online since lockdown began in March.”

Walmart turns Black Friday into multi-weekend sales campaign
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/walmart-turns-black-friday-into-multi-weekend-sales-campaign/
“The Black Friday sales will kick off online Nov. 4, with more deals Nov.7. Then the second phase will start online Nov. 11 and another sales push on Nov. 14. The sales celebration will conclude online Nov. 25 with new discounts offered in store on the traditional Black Friday, Nov. 27”

Amazon returns to ‘debt-fueled growth’ amid online boom
https://www.retaildive.com/news/amazon-returns-to-debt-fueled-growth-amid-online-boom/587100/
“Amid the rapid shift to e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic, costs for Amazon are likely to “surge,” with Moody’s analysts estimating that fourth-quarter shipping expenses could reach $20 billion.”

On Prime Day, Amazon keeps the focus on its marketplace
https://www.retaildive.com/news/on-prime-day-amazon-keeps-the-focus-on-its-marketplace/587137/
“But the e-commerce giant, more than either its third-party sellers or its rivals, probably got the most out of what may be the kickoff of the holiday season.”

Prime Day matters more than ever this year
https://qz.com/1916293/amazon-prime-day-matters-more-than-ever-this-year/
“Not only is it reshaping the holiday shopping calendar in the US, it also threatens to siphon sales from other retailers through the end of the year as it drives more sign ups for Prime.”

E-commerce sales are soaring—but for how long?
https://qz.com/1918063/will-e-commerce-shopping-return-to-pre-pandemic-levels/
“From the first quarter of 2020 to the second, the US Census found e-commerce increased from 11.8% of all sales to 16.1%. So in just one quarter, e-commerce grew as much as it had in the past four years.”

Marketing

State of B2B Content Marketing: 5 Trends That’ll Get You Promoted
https://contently.com/2020/10/15/state-of-b2b-content-2020/
“In our brand new report, we set out to highlight tactics that could help your brand thrive. We analyzed the entire B2B content marketing landscape, talked to experts, and broke down case studies from companies like Google, Microsoft, HubSpot, and more.”