NEWS 07.01.99 UK retailers should look and learn from the US if they are to reap the benefits of electronic commerce, says a report published today by London-based Fletcher Research.
The report, entitled 'Window Shopping', paints a picture of US companies such as Dell seizing market share in the UK simply because their websites are better. It advises UK retailers to start offering customers more incentives to shop online.
Co-author of the report, Benjamin Ensor, said: "The game is not yet over because so few people are on the web but UK retailers should be aware that many surfers have already established their shopping preferences."
Ensor criticised many UK retailers for relying on convenience of delivery as the main incentive for web shopping. "US sites do better because they offer more incentives - such as personalised designs, a wider range of products than offline stores and special discounts," he said. "On some UK retail sites, you can't even buy a product!"
07.01.04 How times have changed. No one can deny the US led the way in mass market ecommerce five years ago. However, most nations with significant internet penetration can now boast a number of indigenous e-tail companies, as well as fairly widespread use of ecommerce for B2B and other purposes.
After a poor year for retail sales it is notable that e-tail continued to grow this Christmas. And it wasn't all sales for Amazon.com.
Personalisation, wide product range and online discounts are now commonplace and most companies that sell products and services in the bricks and mortar world also do so online. When was the last time you heard someone talk disappointedly about 'brochureware'?
It seems that, for the most part, when this analyst house (now gobbled up into Forrester Research) urged UK Plc raise its game, it actually did.
