Online & Digital
The latest news, updates and analysis on the online and digital segment of the the UK retail industry. Sign up to the Daily Briefing and let Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Jun- 2018 -19 June
ASOS to stop selling silk and cashmere in animal welfare policy update
Online retailer ASOS has announced that it will stop the sale of products made with silk, cashmere, angora, feather/down, bone, horn and shell as part of its updated animal welfare policy. It has also pledged to only sell leather, wool and animal hair which is a by-product of the meat…
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18 June
Most Brits would use smartphones as shopping tools for augmented reality
The majority of Brits were found to be willing to use their own smartphones for augmented reality (AR) to better visualise items before buying online, a study has found. Mindshare analysis, conducted on behalf of UK online retail marketplace OnBuy, surveyed 1,000 UK smartphone users focusing on finding the preference…
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18 June
Google and JD.com partner to create ‘frictionless shopping’
Search giant Google and online retailer JD.com have announced a partnership to create “frictionless shopping” experiences. Google, which invested $550m in cash, and JD.com will offer what they are calling “the next generation of retail solutions”, exploring “helpful, personalised and frictionless shopping experiences”. Both companies will work on strategic initiatives,…
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18 June
Bitcoin in retail could ‘bring the internet to a halt’
A new report from the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) in Switzerland has claimed Bitcoin would “bring the internet to a halt” if used as a mainstream payment method in the retail sector. The report also claimed that Bitcoin was a “poor substitute” for state-backed currency as the BIS says…
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15 June
Microsoft to take on Amazon in checkout-free showdown
Microsoft is reportedly working on technology to cut out cashiers and checkout queues in shops in the first challenge to Amazon Go who opened their checkout-free store in Seattle in January. Sources close to the development of the technology told media that Microsoft is developing software to track what shoppers…
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13 June
Most UK consumers are happiest when shopping online
The majority of UK consumers are happiest online when completing an online purchase, a study has revealed. Research conducted by e-commerce martech company Rokt revealed 71% of UK consumers feel happiest when they are shopping online, with 43% consumers linking the emotion of excitement with making an online purchase. The…
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13 June
Instagram launches shopping feature in stories feed
Instagram has included shoppable tags in its stories, expanding its brand posts in the feed. The social media platform completed the feature today (13 June) enabling users to hit a shopping bag sticker in a story to know more details about a product. Instagram expects to potentiate brands that drive…
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12 June
Harvey Nichols to offer ‘live shopping’ online
British luxury department store Harvey Nichols has become the first retailer to offer ‘live shopping’ online due to its partnership with retail technology company Hero. Harvey Nichols now provides online and offline shopping experiences to customers enabling them to reach stylists from its seven UK stores in addition to its…
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12 June
87% of UK’s top retailers risk revenue losses through poor mobile site performance
Almost nine in 10 (87%) of the UK’s top retailers are risking a significant drop in online visibility by neglecting their mobile site performance, according to new research. The report, carried out by e-commerce and digital agency Visualsoft, found that ‘worryingly low’ numbers of retailers have taken strides to improve…
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12 June
Boohoo reports £183.6m revenue jump
Online fashion retailer Boohoo has reported a 53% increase in total revenue for the first quarter of the 2019 financial year. The group said that for the full financial year it continues to expect group revenue growth to be around 40%, with an adjusted EBITDA margin between 9% to 10%.…
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