Chocolate maker and retailer Thorntons is concentrating on developing its multichannel strategy as it looks to rebalance its business for the future. The company, which celebrates its centenary this year, will focus on developing relationships with its customers across channels, and will also invest in online.

Multichannel services are growing at Dixons Retail group, where 14% of its trading is now online, the company said in a trading statement. However, pureplay sales are falling at the same time.

Telmap, a pioneer in mobile location-based services, has unveiled location-aware restaurant coupons as part of its Mobile Location Companion, a result of cooperation with REST, Israel’s leading restaurant guide, and part of the Yellow Pages Israel Group

For those of you reaping the rewards of the e and m-commerce boom, Air Partner, a world leading aircraft charter provider, has unveiled the first multi-lingual real-time iPhone app for private jet availability globally

Monitise has signed a new partnership agreement with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Technology Services to broaden mobile banking and payments services across its banking divisions

Simon Robinson, senior marketing and alliances director Responsys EMEA, investigates how retailers can best exploit the mobile opportunity as part of an integrated cross-channel marketing strategy

Online sales appeared to rally in August, according to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for August. The study found ecommerce sales grew faster in August than July, and were 9.6% ahead of the same time last year.

In years gone by fashion shoppers said they preferred to buy in-store so they could touch and feel clothes for themselves. Today it seems that has changed, according to a report by GSI Commerce, which says that 45% prefer to buy clothes and accessories online.

In our latest piece previewing our annual conference, Internet Retailing 2011, we asked Dominic Smith of JD Williams about the multichannel company’s use of product-level data to increase online sales.

Homebase is giving in-store shoppers the chance to see how their room would look once decorated in its products using new in-store Create the Look technology from Omatic and HintTech. Following a pilot at the multichannel retailer’s Aylesford, Kent, store the technology is now expected to be rolled out across more stores.

Ecommerce technology companies 10CMS and FusePump have struck a strategic partnership to offer retailers the ability to create their own product data feeds and use them in merchandising their goods across a variety of channels.

UGG Australia is launching a new affiliate campaign. Managed by Biglight and using Affiliate Window, the strategy aims to increase awareness of the luxury footwear brand.

Shoppers of John Lewis’ multichannel service will soon be able to collect their goods from twice the number of collection points. The network, which will now include more branches of Waitrose, is set to expand further next year. Meanwhile Waitrose, updating its weekly sales figures, said it was making more grocery deliveries to holiday homes, campsites and canal boats.

Fashion and sporting goods are the most popular buys for the 66% of UK adults who now shop online, according to new ONS data. But while 77%, or 19m, of British households are connected to the internet, 5.7m households do not.

Mobile Fun is adding to its European network of international sites. The mobile phone accessories specialist says it is meeting local demand, appointing managers with local knowledge.

Ed Stevenson, managing director EMEA & APAC at online advertising management platform Marin Software, looks at how search is moving beyond Google and into other areas such as Facebook

Bodum is opening an in-store lab for customers to test and comment on equipment before they buy online. The concept is being unveiled in Paris and could be adopted in other stores if it is successful.

Almost two-thirds of shoppers say that timed delivery slots are important to them. A survey by Postcode Anywhere found that 64% said knowing when goods would arrive was important or very important.