Online & Digital
Online & Digital covers the innovations, strategies and technologies driving the growth of e-commerce and digital retail across the UK. This category explores how retailers and brands are adapting to evolving consumer behaviour, omnichannel expectations and the rapid pace of technological change.
Coverage spans website performance, digital marketing, data analytics, online fulfilment, and the integration of AI and automation in customer experience. Retail Sectorโs Online & Digital section delivers expert insight into how digital transformation is redefining retail operations and competitiveness โ helping professionals stay ahead in an increasingly connected marketplace.
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Mar- 2018 -15 March
Richemontโs Yoox Net-a-Porter acquisition approved by Italian regulator
Italian market watchdog Consob has given the green light for Richemontโs takeover of luxury online retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP). Swiss-based Richemont, which owns brands such as Cartier, Montblanc and Dunhill London, already has a stake in the YNAP Group, but in January made a public tender offer to buy the…
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14 March
Zara owner Inditex sees 41% jump in online sales
The owner of Zara and Massimo Dutti, Inditex, saw online sales revenue grow by 41% in 2017, according to a trading update. In 2017, Inditex invested โฌ1.8bn (ยฃ1.5bn) in further developing its integrated stores and online model and upgrading its technology Specifically, the rollout of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology (used…
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14 March
UK millennials put off by โdifficult returnsโ
Research by returns management company ReBOUND has found that 59% of millennial shoppers stop shopping with online retailers which have difficult or unclear return processes. With ReBOUNDโs findings suggesting that 42% of British shoppers return goods more now than two years ago, 35% of those asked in the survey claimed…
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12 March
Farfetch poised to make ยฃ4bn IPO after hiring US banks
Online luxury retailer Farfetch has hired bankers from JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs as it readies itself to make an initial public offering (IPO).ย Farfetch, launched in 2008, enables nearly 900 boutiques and luxury brands to sell their designer products to around two million from 190 countries. According to reports,…
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7 March
Shop Direct appoints Henry Birch as new CEO
Shop Direct, which operates digital department stores Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com and VeryExclusive.co.uk, has appointed Henry Birch as its CEO. Birch will join Shop Direct later this year as he is currently chief executive officer of the FTSE 250-listed Rank Group, which owns and operates Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo alongside several…
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5 March
Voice transactions through โsmart speakersโ set to increase
Shopping through voice-activated devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home is set to become the next disruptive force in retail, according to new research. UK transactions through smart speakers with consumers using their voices as commands are currently worth ยฃ0.2bn, according to new research from OC&C Strategy Consultants. Almost…
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1 March
Shoppers shun high street for online as January sees strongest growth since 2013
Online retail delivery order volumes were up 20.6% year-on-year in January, according to the latest data from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index. This was the strongest January growth for online order volumes since 2013. During the same period, footfall fell to its lowest January rate in five years โ…
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Feb- 2018 -23 February
Amazon plans six more Amazon Go stores this year
Rumours are swarming that online retail giant Amazon has plans to open as many as six more of its cashierless โAmazon Goโ stores in the US this year. The news was first revealed by technology website Recode, which said โmultiple sources familiar with the companyโs plansโ suggested more cashierless stores…
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22 February
ASOS teams up with High Commission in Mauritius for modern slavery event
Online fashion retailer ASOS is hosting an event with the British High Commission in Mauritius today (22 February). The event will bring together local and international stakeholders to discuss the challenges in managing labour migration and agree a common framework for improving worker protection in Mauritius and beyond. Organised as…
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22 February
Shopping apps account for half of online sales in Europe
Dedicated shopping apps are driving widespread mobile success for European retailers, according to Criteoโs Q4 Global Commerce Report. The study revealed that retailers with a shopping app see half of online transactions taking place on mobile devices with 54% of these taking place via their app, opposed to on mobile…
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