What is the problem in adding an opt-in mechanism for users when using cookie based website analytics systems? John Harrison of Maxsi says the problem is that website analytics systems measure activity and user interaction on the website. For the information to be of use it needs to be reasonably accurate. If, however, it is only activated when a user consents to its use then it is not measuring website activity, it is in fact measuring website activity only of those who consent to opt in. This is not the same.

Only half of web users in an extensive usability survey of fashion etail sites, said they could complete simple navigation and browsing tasks successfully. The specific task of locating a defined product had a success rate of only 49%, for example. These are the worrying findings of the first e-Performance Observatory report compiled by user specialist YUSEO, and presented this week to IMRG members in London. YUSEO tested the usability of nine online fashion retailers operating in the UK: Marks & Spencer, NewLook, TopShop, BooHoo, Mango, Promod, Zara, H & M and ASOS in research work that took place between May 26 and June 15 this year.

Shopping habits have changed enormously in the digital age says Tarlok Teji, retail analyst at Manchester Business School, who examines whether retailers have adapted sufficiently.

Traditional database marketing and segmentation is dead. Modern marketers are gradually becoming more concerned with how engaged they are with customers and prospects. But there’s still a way to go, explains Tim Roe of RedEye.

Online sales growth slowed to 10.4% in May as consumers became wary of spending. Retail spending across the UK fell by 2.3% on a like-for-like basis.

As more Brits cancel their weekend shopping trips thanks to the rising price of petrol, Bill Mooney, sales director – DataSolutions, at GB Group, considers how retailers can benefit by getting to know their customers online instead.

Customers are now finding it easier and cheaper to return unwanted goods that were bought online, a new report from Snow Valley has found. Researchers have noted a ‘dramatic change’ in the number of retailers who will now refund the original delivery store, with some even doing that in store.

Is acting as a shopping channel a step too far for Facebook? Stefan Schmidt, director of product strategy at hybris, considers.

The UK’s online retail market has now taken £300bn in sales, the IMRG has said. Top-performing sectors over the last 11 years have been clothing, electricals and wine, beer and spirits.

Bank holidays and hot sunny weather enticed shoppers in the UK to spend a total of £5.2bn online in April, up 19% on April 2010, according to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. New summer clothes were being purchased thanks to the sunshine, with sales in this category up 32% year-on-year. Alcohol for enjoyment during the Royal Wedding and other Bank Holidays was another popular choice – the average online order reached £174, more than double the April 2010 figure, and 20% up on March.

Ian Jindal, Editor in Chief of InternetRetailing, has invited Sophie Albizua to contribute a guest column on the 10th Anniversary of Click and Collect, a subject close to our hearts at Etail Towers. Sophie was …

In order to maintain a strong position in competitive online markets you need to analyse both your local and global competition in each target market, says Greig Holbrook of Oban Multilingual. Online shopping is set to explode in the Nordic markets for example, but localisation will be the key to success.

Small businesses are making a collective £36bn a year from online trading, according to a new report for online advice site knowthenet.org.uk. But while 51% of small businesses are making money from the net, 46% don’t make any at all – a situation that has to change, says knowthenet.

The majority of online strategies assume that all potential customers are of equal value to the company. Hosein Moghaddas, VP & MD International of GSI Commerce, argues that this assumption could be costing companies millions in lost sales.

This is my editorial from the March 2011 edition of InternetRetailing Magazine. You can see the digital copy online on our March 2011 Digital Edition.
With both sustainability and customer service in the air at Etail …

The recent travel mayhem as a result of snow across the UK has brought the topic of travel and – vitally at Christmas-time – delivery to the front of our collective minds in eCommerce. However, in addition to the trials and tribulations experienced in the final mile, the transport metaphor has been a fertile one as Ian Jindal considers the balance of service within multichannel retail.

Email is gaining new life as messaging systems converge through social media, argues John Hayes, business development executive at iContact, who has some suggestions on how retailers can use email and social media effectively.

Online consumer search and purchasing trends are changing. Liane Dietrich, managing director of LinkShare UK, explains, and considers how retailers can capture the attention of social shoppers.

A third of British consumers would rather shop online, research from the Pay Your Way campaign has found. If they bought their online purchases in person, it found, they would have to clock up an average of 6,111 extra miles a year.

Even the leading retailers are ‘largely unresponsive’ when it comes to social media, a study from technology company Auros has found. Just being on social media is not enough, says its managing director: brands need to be more confident about responding.