Is The Future of eCommerce Looking a Bit Brighter?
)
If you are a regular reader of this column, you’ve probably gotten used to the updates often containing news that don’t paint a great picture of eCommerce performance. For sure, it’s been a tough few years for online retailers following the pandemic, with trading being very subdued and macro events exerting a profound impact on shoppers’ willingness to spend on general merchandise.
But I’m just the messenger! I can only report what we track at IMRG!
It does rather seem however that some slightly better news on market performance is beginning to seep through. Note that it’s a trickle rather than a flood currently, and I wouldn’t want to overstate it, but the direction of travel is becoming more convincing week after week at the moment.
To be clear: revenue growth is still often negative, and flat rather than overwhelmingly positive when it’s not, as can be seen from the below chart, but the past two months or so have seen a growth rate that is more consistently around the 0% baseline, whereas before we were seeing some big declines and a more erratic flow.
One swallow does not a summer make, it’s true; yet there is more than one swallow here (and I’ll leave that metaphor well alone now, don’t worry). Conversion has been edging up a bit, with the rate in August actually the highest it has been for that month in four years. Traffic has also popped its head above the 0% baseline after a poor start to the year, and is now reliably above it. The growth might not be spectacular necessarily – it’s low single-digit – but it’s the right side of the line at least.
The thing that is holding it back at the moment is slightly lower average basket values, though on the whole the overall picture is one of improving fortunes.
Which is good timing as we approach the Ecommerce Expo, held at the Excel in London on 18-19 September. The whole purpose of this annual gathering of eCommerce professionals is to discover ideas, share knowledge and find out what solutions are available to help you along whichever path you are trying to tread.
IMRG will be there, obviously – and we have a wide range of information to present to attendees from expectations around Black Friday performance to what makes a good email campaign, delivery propositions, checkout structures, not to mention a bit of general market analysis. Furthermore, I’m running a series of leadership sessions to enable senior retailers to discuss long-term strategies, marketing channels and what’s in your tech stack (as well as, perhaps, what should be in it).
You don’t have to spend your whole time with us of course (though technically you probably could), as there are numerous theatres stuffed with content to fit wherever your current interest levels are at. There’s one on the future of digital commerce, post-purchase journeys, omnichannel operations, cross-border, UX and CX.
I have the strange fate of attending this event every year and never seeing any of the content as we tend to be presenting ourselves for the whole time. But for you, operating in a market where the situation is just starting to look a little brighter, it might just be time to jump in with both feet and take in as much as you can.
Hope to see you there.
Latest News
-
)
ECommerce has been in the doldrums for a few years now, with negative revenue growth, lower conversion and dips in site traffic becoming an accepted part of market conditions; that has been the post-p ... -
)
Mark Adams, senior vice president and general manager of EMEA at eCommerce platform BigCommerce talks to us about the industry trends he was excited to see during the show and the exciting development ... -
)
Rosie Bailey, Founder & CEO at AI negotiation platform Nibble, talks about what she found most insightful from the show and the hottest trends driving developments in eCommerce and marketing. -
)
Craig Smith, Country Manager UK & Ireland at enterprise commerce platform SCAYLE, shares his insights on the hottest trends in eCommerce and marketing and offers advice for newcomers entering the indu ... -
)
Anna Sutton, Co-founder & CEO of data and analytics platform The Data Refinery talks about the challenges eCommerce retailers are facing ahead of peak season and the importance of industry events in b ... -
)
Harshal Shah, CEO and Founder of virtual assistant service ECOMVA talks about the trends he found most interesting during the show and his best pieces of advice as we head on into peak season. -
)
Hugo Borensztein, Co-founder & CEO of 3D visualisation tool Omi, talks about what he’s most looking forward to from this year’s eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing and the advice he’d give for ... -
)
Sam Theakston, Director at B2 Agency, discusses what he’s most looking forward to at the events and the critical challenges facing eCommerce retailers ahead of peak season. -
)
Eva Palatinsky, Founder and CEO of Globalfy, shares what excites her most in the current eCommerce and marketing landscape and the top advice for newcomers to the fields. -
)
Meet Zaria Parvez, the mastermind behind Duolingo's viral social media success, who grew their TikTok from 50K to over 11M followers. Discover how she transformed Duolingo into a social-first brand, c ... -
)
Lucas van der Schalk, CEO at circular plastics solution provider Corplex highlights the biggest trends and challenges within eCommerce and marketing and what’s exciting him the most in those industrie ... -
)
We spoke to Dorota Wróbel, Chief R&D at digital marketplace G2A on what she’s looking forward to most about the show and the importance of bringing the community together at the event. -
)
If you are a regular reader of this column, you’ve probably gotten used to the updates often containing news that don’t paint a great picture of eCommerce performance. But I’m just the messenger! I ca ... -
)
Gavin Warwick, European Partnership Manager at supply chain software provider SmartFreight explains what’s exciting him about the industries today as well as the trends helping shape the future. -
)
Jack Barmby, CEO of communication tech provider Gnatta, discusses the industry trends he’s most looking forward to seeing at eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing this year as well as the bigges ... -
)
Beth Chapman, Managing Director at global delivery solution provider Starlinks Global talks to us about what she’s most looking forward to at the show and her advice for newcomers entering the industr ... -
)
Georgia Leybourne, CMO at eCommerce inventory and order management software business Linnworks discusses the things she’s most looking forward to at the show and the importance of the event in bringin ... -
)
Moshe Winegarten, Chief Revenue Officer at payment service provider Ecommpay talks about the biggest challenges facing eCommerce retailers ahead of peak season. -
)
Chris White, EMEA Chief Revenue Officer at warehouse management system SnapFulfil to discuss the key challenges he’s seeing in his sector and why events like eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketin ... -
)
Gev Balyan, Founder of eCommerce website builder Ucraft tells us what he’s looking forward to most from eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing this year and why the shows are so important in brin ... -
)
Pratik Padhiar, Director of New Business at digital marketing communications agency h2o Creative talks to us about the biggest challenges online retailers are facing right now and what’s exciting them ... -
)
Meet Adam Ull, Global Product Information Lead at H&M, who is transforming commerce by using data and AI to enhance customer experiences across digital channels. He discusses building agile systems an ... -
)
As we approach this year’s eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing events, Na’ama Sheba, Chief Marketing Officer at B2B payments provider Mondu discusses the hottest trends in eCommerce payments r ... -
)
In the ever-evolving world of eCommerce, UK merchants must adopt strategic approaches to ensure sustainable growth both at home and abroad. In our recent webinar featuring Emily McMorran, CX Lead at w ... -
)
Some essential tips to help you deliver an impactful presentation with Alyssia Smith, Senior Content Manager at eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing -
)
A new source of information for businesses wanting to expand and increase their customer base. -
)
What a miserable year it’s proving to be for eCommerce. Revenue has performed well below expectation, site traffic overall has seen barely any growth in 2024 so far and conversion remains suppressed. ... -
)
Shaun Loughlin, Head of eCommerce at LeMieux, shares his 20-year journey in retail and eCommerce, emphasising international expansion strategies. -
)
Discover how Deliveroo enhances grocery delivery by partnering with retailers, offering logistics, and advanced tech integration, ensuring fast and reliable customer service. -
)
Explore how increasing discount usage in eCommerce is impacting revenue growth in 2024. Discover the trends, challenges, and strategies retailers are employing to navigate tough trading conditions.
)
){kind=logo}
)
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
.png/fit-in/500x500/filters:no_upscale())
){kind=logo}
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
