News - October 2012

Online shopping growth prompts parcel delivery employment increase

31 October 2012 09:04

Across the UK, various companies are getting ready for the festive shopping period, which is typically the busiest of the year.
The Mirror reports that Parcelforce, which is part of the Royal [...]

Free returns encourage consumers to shop online

30 October 2012 09:00

If an e-commerce site is able to offer a free returns system to its customers, then it is more likely to click with a British audience, according to a new study conducted by Fits.me.
Conversely, [...]

Research predicts significant growth for e-commerce

29 October 2012 15:17

At the moment about 13 per cent of all retail sales in the UK are channelled through sites offering safe shopping online, with bricks and mortar retail still accounting for the majority of the market.< [...]

Play.com expands to offer e-commerce marketplace service

26 October 2012 09:54

People looking to set up their own online storefront will now be able to do so via Play.com's new marketplace, which allows merchants to build an e-commerce outlet, complete with their own branding.< [...]

Argos plans store closures to focus on e-commerce

25 October 2012 10:40

Argos will be targeting its customers with a renewed effort to encourage them to use its site for safe shopping online, with 75 store closures planned by the retailer between now and 2017, as it looks [...]

Harrods supports e-commerce game site aimed at teen audience

24 October 2012 13:13

Harrods may be known for its famed London department store, but it is looking to expand into the online space, with a new endorsement deal for a website which targets youngsters who love fashion and [...]

YouGov poll considers consumer habits

23 October 2012 13:59

A new poll conducted by YouGov has found that while safe shopping online is popular amongst the majority of UK consumers, m-commerce services and portable devices are helping to keep the high street [...]

IGD reveals latest e-commerce statistics

22 October 2012 15:28

Analysts at IGD have estimated that the market for online grocery shopping will increase by 98 per cent between now and 2017, at which point, it will be valued at 11.1 billion annually in the UK.

Retailers ranked by quality of e-commerce experience

19 October 2012 13:00

A new poll conducted by Which? asked UK consumers to consider the quality of the retail websites operated by some of the biggest shopping brands in the country, with some interesting results generated. [...]

Study reveals some online retailers break refund rules

18 October 2012 12:18

Consumers across the UK will be gearing up for the busiest shopping period of the year, but it seems that some online retailers are more scrupulous than others, when it comes to catering to the rights [...]

December 3rd set to be hottest date on e-commerce calendar

17 October 2012 12:20

Cyber Monday is famed due to its status as the UK's busiest day of the year for safe shopping online, which in 2012, will fall on December 3rd, according to Marin Software.
This is based on the [...]

M-commerce takes a tenth of high street retail market

16 October 2012 15:36

One pound out of every 10 that British consumers spend via established high street retailers, is now passed on through m-commerce services, according to a report from NetSuite.
This means that in [...]

Amazon boss talks up benefits of tablets

15 October 2012 14:13

Jeff Bezos, the man behind online retail giant, Amazon, has spoken out about the benefits of tablet computers, indicating that he believes they will help to fuel the next big e-commerce revolution.

Asda announces in-store Wi-Fi and iPad adoption

12 October 2012 09:36

Supermarket chain Asda is going to be rolling out Wi-Fi networks across its various outlets to encourage customers to use their smartphones and tablets while they are shopping.
It will also be [...]

Tesco offers e-commerce to Slovakian consumers

11 October 2012 13:52

Retail giant Tesco has decided to dip its toes into the e-commerce market outside of the UK and offer safe shopping online to thousands of Slovakians who live in Bratislava and the communities around [...]

Facebook adds new wish list creation tool to fuel e-commerce growth

10 October 2012 11:02

While Facebook makes most of its money from advertising, it is attempting to get its billion users to buy more products via safe shopping online from within its blue-tinted pages.
Everyone who [...]

Dixons ends stint as online brand

09 October 2012 11:56

Many people will remember when Dixons was a fixture of UK high streets, selling consumer electronic products of all kinds. While the stores may have been rebranded six years ago, Dixons.co.uk allowed [...]

Online discounts for the armed forces

08 October 2012 15:49

A number of major retailers have come together as part of a new scheme called the Defence Discount Service (DDS), which will allow members of the armed forces and those who have previously served to [...]

Public Wi-Fi service offered to high street outlets

05 October 2012 10:58

The high street is having to adapt to a changing world in which safe shopping online is increasingly dominant, which is why a new scheme set up by Wicoms and Skype would help more bricks and mortar [...]

Women hit fashion shopping peak at 57, survey finds

04 October 2012 14:17

A study which questioned 2,000 women about their shopping habits, has found that those aged 57 and older are the most comfortable in making fashion purchases.
The MyHigh.st website conducted the [...]

Shop Direct takes fashion photography in-house

03 October 2012 10:59

The Shop Direct Group controls a number of popular online retail outlets, including the likes of Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.
It has now invested 1 million in the creation of a trio of dedicated [...]

People shop online to avoid fitting room congestion

02 October 2012 14:08

British consumers who have shopped on the high street during peak periods will appreciate how problematic it can be to try on clothes, when the fitting rooms at your retailer of choice are [...]

Online grocery services compared

01 October 2012 13:14

In a report from the Guardian, a number of the UK's top supermarkets which offer direct home delivery of their products via shopping online, have been compared.
With the online grocery market [...]