Internet Retailer

Supermarket Morrisons says it's conducting an assessment of the opportunities from internet shopping. The update came at its half-year results briefing. Related news

1. Morrisons in no hurry to move into online sales
2. Online profits up as Tesco delivers more than a billion items
3. Ocado reports 30% sales growth

Some 32% of Argos sales now take place over the internet, according to its parent company Home Retail Group's latest results. The company said its Check & Reserve service was behind strong online growth. Related news

1. Multi-channel now accounts for 42% of sales at Argos
2. Online growth bucks Argos’ overall sales dip
3. Argos grows Check & Reserve by another 50% in latest quarter

Liane Dietrich, MD of affiliate network LinkShare UK, looks at why more needs to be done to assure those brands investing online that they will receive return on investment. Related news

1. Guest Comment: The secret to monetising Twitter — Allow affiliates to tweet their way to profit
2. Consumers don’t use social networks for purchasing guidance
3. Guest Comment: Selling social commerce to your boss

The key to meeting the ever-growing m-commerce demands of the public is in getting the payment side of things made simple and secure, as well as simplifying all the regulatory and process hurdles that surround mobile and retail, says a study by mobile content and billing company Netsize Related news

1. Apps more popular for shopping with consumers than catalogues as mobile starts to prove itself, finds joint eDigital Research and Portaltech study
2. Consumers are ready for mobile marketing – and it all starts with text, finds Placecast study
3. 73% of large US retailers have a mobile strategy in place, but 20% still think it’s unproven, RIM study finds

M-Retailing's editor Paul Skeldon talks to Chris Corbin, Head of Multi-channel at Halfords and Sue Pratt, Halfords Account Director at technology company Salmon about the drivers behind extending Halfords' online presence into mobile and why mobile is the future both in and out of store Related news

1. ROAMING REPORT PayPal discusses its move into mobile
2. Halfords errs on the side of optimized mobile websites in revamp of mobile services
3. ROAMING REPORT Why retailers can ignore mobile no longer

Sales of chocolates over the internet provided a growth area for manufacturer and multichannel retailer Thorntons, as it reported its end-of-year financial results. Related news

1. Festive season: More online winners emerge
2. Online sales growth helps boost Mothercare
3. John Lewis Direct increases sales by 18.2%

Royal Mail has taken philately to very 21st Century heights with addition of a augmented reality around its latest range of stamps, in a tie up with AR specialist junaio. Pointing an iPhone or Android handset with the juniao app running at any of Royal Mail's Great British Railway Special Stamps will launch video footage on the handset of Bernard Cribbens reciting the W H Auden poem “Night Mail” Related news

1. Royal Mail launches new e-commerce tool
2. Mail strike — 75% of businesses plan to drop Royal Mail
3. Royal Mail strike could cost retailers £270 million, says Kelkoo

Online grocer Ocado today saw its share price slip by more than 4% despite reporting a 30% growth in sales in its first update since flotation. Elsewhere, Morrisons is expected to announce the upcoming launch of its online service when it reports first-half results on Thursday. Related news

1. Ocado set to widen customer base through new distribution centre
2. Ocado shares lose more than 10% of value since stockmarket launch
3. Online grocer Ocado seeks to raise £200m in flotation

Online sales rose in August, but there are still fears of a slowdown once the extent of Government cuts become apparent, says the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. Related news

1. Online sales blossom in June
2. August sales beat forecasts as shoppers splash out £3.8bn online
3. BRC: Web sales keep rising, but not by very much

My-wardrobe.com's founder and chief executive Sarah Curran speaks to Internet Retailing in the latest preview of our annual conference, Internet Retailing 2010. Related news

1. Captivating the Consumer – a key focus for Internet Retailing 2010
2. my-wardrobe.com reports 93% sales lift
3. My-wardrobe.com plans for international growth after investment

John Lewis is running complementary marketing campaigns across all its sales channels to promote the rollout of its new womenswear department. Related news

1. John Lewis emphasises quality and service in new £6m ad campaign
2. John Lewis announces latest sites for ‘at home’ format
3. ‘John Lewis at home’ could grow to 30 branches

Sellers on eBay are already seeing a Christmas rush, says the online auction website. So far more than 150,000 Christmas related are already up for sale on the site. Related news

1. eBay UK sees 18% rise in new business sellers since recession
2. Asda Direct launches online Christmas gift shop
3. eBay predicts online shopping boom this Christmas

Fast growth at fashion retailer Boohoo.com has led it to appoint affiliate marketing agency R.O.EYE to target customers at the sites where they spend their time. Related news

1. Blackwell UK appoints ROEye to grow affiliate marketing channel
2. Best Buy UK appoints affiliate network
3. Fashion retailers boost affiliate marketing for Christmas

DSG International sees strong growth in its online channel, led by multichannel and Reserve & Collect offerings. Related news

1. Online growth bucks Argos’ overall sales dip
2. DSG International looks to better customer experience
3. Online sales growth helps boost Mothercare

Online retailers lost almost £3bn in 2009 as customers abandoned their shopping carts in response to delivery issues, new research from Royal Mail suggests. Related news

1. 77% of etailers think postal strikes will put customers off online shopping
2. Online retailers welcome longer opening for Royal Mail delivery offices
3. Home Delivery Network announces sub-2kg ‘Lite’ service

It's time for retailers to get online, says Chris Webster, vice president, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini, who advises on how to make the most of the opportunities that internet sales have to offer. Related news

1. GUEST OPINION iPad and the future of retailing
2. Guest comment: Mastering website performance to combat abandoned transactions
3. Guest Comment: What’s in store for multi-channel retail?

Start up company Udozi is aiming to harness the power of the mobile web to help retailers drive consumers back into their stores and get them shopping ‘the old fashioned way’ with a stock comparison service app Related news

1. Online service to help retailers use web to drive consumers back into stores
2. Apps more popular for shopping with consumers than catalogues as mobile starts to prove itself, finds joint eDigital Research and Portaltech study
3. Mobile marketing influences a third of US shopper to visit certain stores, study finds

Another day, another iPhone based card processing solution comes on the market. This time, PAYware from Verifone, is pushing its app-and-sleeve card reading solution at micro-merchants in the US, with plans for a second generation solution that will work in chip and PIN markets in Europe later this year Related news

1. Intuit and mophie turn iPhones into card readers
2. Visa launches NFC payment dongle for iPhone
3. Card not present fraud falls by 19%

Zara is the latest fashion retailer to sell online in the UK, following hard on the heels of Gap, and coming as H&M draws nearer to selling over the internet in this country. At the same time, eBay is pushing its own Fashion Outlet in a new advertising campaign. Related news

1. Internet sales up in May but share of the retail market dips: ONS
2. John Lewis reports ecommerce sales up 24.2%, plans fashion site
3. HMV branches into fashion sales

Following the successful launch of its m-web strategy and iPhone app earlier this year, online comparison website Shopping.com continues its move into mobile with the launch of an Android app for the UK market, marking the next phase of the company’s mobile strategy Related news

1. Amazon introduces app for Android
2. Ocado Android app allows mobile grocery shopping using voice
3. Google launches Product Search for Android and iPhone