Blog & Research Digest – November 2021
With our Blog and Research Digest, the Digishare team provide a curated roundup 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
Data points to a very mobile Christmas worldwide
https://internetretailing.net/peak/peak-2021-data-points-to-a-very-mobile-christmas-worldwide-24071
“Data from mobile marketing analytics platform Adjust in the US finds that in-app revenue has increased significantly in 2021, with May being the biggest month so far.”
Majority of shoppers planning to do all Christmas shopping online on Black Friday.. or are they?
https://internetretailing.net/peak/peak-2021-majority-of-shoppers-planning-to-do-all-christmas-shopping-online-on-black-friday-or-are-they-24070
“Research by Appinio, a global research platform that collects some 1 million answers daily from its panels, quizzed 1000 UK shoppers last week and found that the majority (56%) plan on buying all their Christmas gifts on Black Friday this year.”
UK online spending hits £10.4bn in October, Black Friday scepticism grows, Adobe finds
https://internetretailing.net/customer/uk-online-spending-hits-104bn-in-october-black-friday-scepticism-grows-adobe-finds-24069
“UK shoppers spent £10.4bn online in October – an increase of 5% on last year’s Covid-driven gains and an indication that many consumers started their Christmas shopping earlier than ever this year.”
ICSC: 86% of consumers will shop over Thanksgiving weekend
https://www.retaildive.com/news/icsc-86-of-consumers-will-shop-over-thanksgiving-weekend/610342/
“As shoppers prepare for the busiest shopping weekend of the year, a new report from ICSC predicts that consumers will spend $491 on average between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, bringing in a total of over $108 billion for the weekend.”
Consumers spending big this holiday season
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/consumers-spending-big-this-holiday-season/
“Shoppers are expected to spend an average of $1,463 per household, up 5% from last year, according to Deloitte’s 36th annual Holiday Retail Survey.”
Supply chain woes not easing for retailers
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/supply-chain-woes-not-easing-for-retailers/
“More than half, 65%, of leading online retailers are dealing with off-schedule price increases and 34% have shipping volume capped at this point, according to a LaserShip study.”
Shipping, economy woes playing part in consumer holiday shopping
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/shipping-economy-woes-playing-part-in-consumer-holiday-shopping/
“Just about half of those polled, 46.5%, expect to have less money to spend due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
One third of retailers confident about growth ahead
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/one-third-of-retailers-confident-about-growth-ahead/
“Just a little over one third, 37%, of retailers are confident their companies will grow in the next 12 months though recovery from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remains a worry.”
Retail sales return to growth as shoppers stock up early for Christmas, buying more in-store and less online than in recent months
https://internetretailing.net/industry/retail-sales-return-to-growth-as-shoppers-stock-up-early-for-christmas-buying-more-in-store-and-less-online-than-in-recent-months-24049
“At the same time 27.3% of sales took place online – as ecommerce took its smallest share of sales since March 2020 (22.5%), the first month of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ecommerce sales, however, are still ahead of pre-pandemic February 2020 (19.7%).”
Record sales at Singles Day 2021
https://internetretailing.net/peak/peak-2021-record-sales-at-singles-day-2021-24014
“Alibaba Group group says its 11.11 Singles Day shopping festival saw goods worth a record $84.5bn (£63.1bn) sold via its platform. The event was Alibaba’s largest yet, with 290,000 merchants taking part, including more than 200 brands that sold via the Tmall Luxury Pavilion for the first time.”
Retail momentum is all about shifting consumer demand
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/retail-momentum-is-all-about-shifting-consumer-demand/
“Pre-pandemic comparisons point to a potentially front-loaded holiday season for some categories. Holiday favorites like toys, small appliances and tech experienced high double-digit growth over 2019 results during these early weeks. At the same time, more recent increases in fashion and beauty have yet to translate into consistent gains over pre-pandemic levels.”
Retail sales up on a healthy pace
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/retail-sales-up-on-a-healthy-pace/
“Retail sales increased 1.7% in October, compared to September, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, reflecting the biggest growth since March.”
Most consumers excited about AR product interaction
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/most-consumers-excited-about-ar-product-interaction/
“A good majority, 85%, of U.S. consumers are excited about augmented reality as a way to interact with products and another 85% are at least somewhat likely to choose a brand that provided an option to get more confident about fit, look and experience through the technology.”
Online shopping gets people’s hearts racing more than social media – literally
https://internetretailing.net/customer/online-shopping-gets-peoples-hearts-racing-more-than-social-media–literally-24065
“In the study, volunteers’ heart rates increased by an average of 3.2 beats per minute (BPM) while online shopping, compared with a decrease of 2.2 BPM when browsing social media. No surprise then that people give online shopping a stress rating of 4/10, compared with just 3/10 for social media. Women, however, enjoy online shopping more than men, but their heart rates raised 3.4% more than men when doing so.”
Marketplaces command consumer search, as shopper loyalty to brands withers
https://internetretailing.net/marketplaces/marketplaces-command-consumer-search-as-shopper-loyalty-to-brands-withers-23987
“Marketplaces outstrip Google and brand websites when it comes for searching for products, as loyalty to brands and retailers has all but disappeared among consumers, international research shows.”
Online shopping frustrations impact the brain in a similar way to theft or an internet outage
https://internetretailing.net/customer/online-shopping-frustrations-impact-the-brain-in-a-similar-way-to-theft-or-an-internet-outage-23988
“A first of its kind study has revealed how the brain responds to common online retail frustrations — and underscored the importance of developing a seamless customer experience.”
Inaccessible websites cost retailers and UK businesses more than £411bn during the pandemic
https://internetretailing.net/customer/inaccessible-websites-cost-retailers-and-uk-businesses-more-than-411bn-during-the-pandemic-purple-tuesday-research-23946
“Inaccessible websites cost retailers and other UK businesses more than £411bn during the pandemic, new research suggests. Almost one in three disabled people had difficulties using websites at the peak of the pandemic, according to a study from Purple.”
3 things consumers want from retailers
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/3-things-consumers-want-from-retailers/
“Consumers want more than general loyalty programs, enjoy shopping at one-stop destinations and love brands that offer an easy return process.”
Amazon winning biggest share of Google results in Apparel, Beauty, Sporting Goods and Health ecommerce, because it gives ‘informational content’
https://internetretailing.net/marketing/amazon-winning-biggest-share-of-google-results-in-apparel-beauty-sporting-goods-and-health-ecommerce-because-it-gives-informational-content-24068
“Out of the seven eCommerce verticals analysed by Searchmetrics in its latest report, amazon.com is revealed to have the highest market share of page one search results in four categories (Apparel, Beauty, Health and Sporting Goods). In the three other sectors (DIY, Furniture, Electronics) amazon.com comes second.”
Only a fool would bet against Amazon succeeding on the high street
https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-amazon-supermarkets/
“Newly leaked documents suggest Amazon has begun a concerted push to become a grocery retailer on the British high street. Our columnist looks at why it will eventually triumph, and why this new move is a big part of the omnichannel revolution.”
Amazon: “Are they selling products, or are they spying on everyday people?”
https://www.chargedretail.co.uk/2021/11/22/amazon-are-they-selling-products-or-are-they-spying-on-everyday-people/
“Amazon collects and keeps a huge amount of data on its customers, which it has made available to consumers upon request since last year after trying and failing to defeat a 2018 California measure requiring such disclosures.”
Amazon accused of misleading customers over delivery dates
https://www.chargedretail.co.uk/2021/11/08/amazon-accused-of-misleading-customers-over-delivery-dates/
“Some of the complaints have said that the ecommerce giant must be more transparent when it comes to offering delivery dates, especially amid the ongoing supply chain crisis.”
Grocery sales drive robust Walmart earnings despite inflation
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/grocery-sales-drive-robust-walmart-earnings-despite-inflation/
“The retailer’s U.S. same-store sales jumped 9.2%, compared to a year earlier and U.S. e-commerce sales increased 8% compared the same quarter a year ago.”
How e-commerce retailers stacked up in Q3
https://www.retaildive.com/news/how-e-commerce-retailers-stacked-up-in-q3/610089/
“A flood of DTC brands entered the public markets this year. Now, we’re seeing how those companies and other online brands are holding up.”