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Articles by Fran Quilty
How Retailers Can Use Data Analytics to Reduce Carbon Footprint
Ed. Note: This article was previously posted at Retail TouchPoints. Operational efficiency in ecommerce has never been more important. Inflation has tightened margins and supply chain issues have caused havoc with inventory planning. In tandem, the world's focus on climate change and carbon neutrality has turned businesses' attention to how they can raise their environmental credentials.
Using Data Analytics to Drive Influencer Marketing Outcomes
With an ever increasing number of consumers tethered to their phones for work, social, and everything in between, social media has become more targeted and more ubiquitous without signs of slowing. It is the playground of highly effective influencers, who with one carefully crafted message can introduce a brand to millions of activated, engaged followers.
Clean Data, Clean Planet: How Online Retailers can use Data Analytics to Reduce Their Carbon Footprint
Operational efficiency in ecommerce has never been more important. Inflation has tightened margins and supply chain issues have caused havoc with inventory planning. In tandem, the world’s focus on climate change and carbon neutrality has turned businesses’ attention to how they can raise their environmental credentials. A recent Europe Ecommerce report highlighted that 94% of Chinese, 76% of Europeans and 69% of Americans surveyed said they would boycott carbon negative companies.
How My Company Won Over VCs, and Where It Actually Got Us Original
The path for any startup to successfully move up to the next level invariably means securing VC funding. That's a given, but what does it really mean in practice for your business, and what can you gain — aside from cold, hard investment dollars — from talking to VCs as you strive to grow?
Council Post: Clustering: The New World Of Retail Product Segmentation
Fran Quilty, Conjura's co-founder and CEO, is an entrepreneur who has been part of the creation of businesses serving the eCommerce sector. getty For retailers, the digital age has ushered in many new ways to sell; e-commerce, mobile commerce, social commerce and, increasingly, video commerce.
A digital-first world means Investors should look to digital due diligence first too
By Fran Quilty, CEO and co-founder, Conjura Due diligence has always been a key part of the overall investment or acquisition process, but data has taken this up a significant notch. While human chemistry and killer marketing materials still have their parts to play ahead of M&A or a funding round, an investor should now spend more time evaluating the target’s data than the senior leadership team. Indeed, data should be the defining factor between a deal or a dud.
Next online sales drove growth ahead of Christmas - but inflation expected to push prices 6% higher by autumn
Sales were stronger than expected ahead of Christmas – but rising costs may hit future demand. Image courtesy of Next Pent-up demand meant sales grew despite stock and staff shortages that reduced delivery standards Next sales grew quickly online in the run-up to Christmas, despite lower than usual delivery standards and staff and stock shortages, while in-store sales fell.
PREDICTIONS 2022: Shifts in consumer behaviour
In the latest in our series of ecommerce and multichannel predictions for the year ahead we bring together industry views on the consumer and changing expectations for the coming year. Hybrid lifestyles will be consolidated in the next year, and we expect to see an increased reliance on digital communications for older demographics remote over 30s. “The move from pandemic to endemic is an important shift and will have a notable impact on customer engagement.
Made.com full-year sales grow 38%, despite supply chain disruption and factory closures
Made says up to 20% of its best-performing products were unavailable ahead of Christmas. Image courtesy of Made.com Made.com sales grew by 38% in its latest year, even though supply chain disruption meant up to a fifth of its best performing ranges were unavailable during peak trading, the digital furniture brand says in an end of year update today. Covid-19 restrictions meant that factories in Vietnam were closed for periods, while global supply chains were also disrupted.
GUEST COMMENT Agility shouldn’t end at the finance team
Fran Quilty, CEO and founder of Conjura Effective data-led campaigns require quick decisions. These are typically micro dials to tune up performance in relation to emerging behavioural trends, whether these relate to existing customers or prospects. The financial implications of these smaller adjustments can usually be accounted for within the scope of seasonal budgets, which are generally set in stone.
TikTok: How retailers are making use of the social media sensation
It’s frequented by Justin Bieber, Will Smith and Liverpool Football Club. But is there space on TikTok for retailers? With over a billion downloads and around 800 million monthly active users, the social media app has proven it has the scale to offer an effective marketing channel. Content on the app mainly comprises short, comical, user-made videos. It has built-in video editing software and the ability to add a range of popular songs as background music.
EDITORIAL From hybrid lifestyles to the metaverse: how retail is preparing for a change in shopping habits
How will shoppers buy in the future? Image: DC Studio/Shutterstock How shoppers are now buying and what we can expect in the year ahead is the question being asked in today’s InternetRetailing newsletter. We report as the first multichannel and ecommerce retailers report their figures after a Christmas that was marked by supply chain issues, staff shortages – and changing customer behaviour.
60% of beauty shoppers opt for stores rather than social to buy, but turn to online for inspiration
Beauty shoppers prefer to go in-store (Image: AdobeStock) In-store beats social when it comes to beauty and personal care. Six in ten (59%) UK consumers cite it as their favourite way to shop for make-up, as well as for experiences such speaking to consultants on the shop floor influences almost four-in-ten (39%). The findings come despite shoppable functions and AR try-ons launched by platforms such Pinterest and show only 15% prefer using a brand’s social media page for make-up.
Online grocery sales drop 3.7% this Christmas, but sales still way above pre-pandemic levels
In-store grocery dominates Christmas 2021 (Image: Fotolia) Despite rising Covid cases and the emergence of Omicron, UK online grocery sales dropped 3.7% in December compared to 2020, accounting for 12.2% of the £11.7bn spent on food this holiday season. According to figures from Kantar, while overall Christmas grocery sales were just 0.2% shy of their 2020 level, online sales struggled to grow.
China’s JD.com opens first European shops - Ochama robotic collection shops in the Netherlands
Shoppers in the Netherlands can now pick up online orders with the help of robots. Image courtesy of JD.com Chinese retailer and technology company JD.com has opened its first shops in Europe – in the Netherlands. It has opened two robotic pick-up shops under the name of Ochama, a new brand, in Leiden and Rotterdam, with two more to follow in Amsterdam and Utrecht.
Boots online sales at double pre-Covid levels - while fewer people visit its shops
Boots is seeing fewer in-store visits but more online shops. Image courtesy of Boots Boots online sales were almost double the level they were before Covid-19 in the first quarter of its financial year, the retailer’s parent company said this week. However, fewer people are visiting its stores than did before the pandemic. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) first quarter figures, reported this week, show that Boots’ like-for-like retail sales were 16.3% ahead of the the same time last year.
What CBD brands can learn from the protein supplements sector
CBD is big business. Eight million people use CBD products in the UK and the market is worth around £300 million annually. Despite those figures, CBD firms are operating with one hand tied behind their backs when compared to those selling other supplements. The regulatory strictures placed upon CBD businesses in the UK and Ireland prevent those in the space from marketing their products through traditional digital marketing platforms like Google and Facebook.
Strong online demand for homewares and gifts helps The White Company make up for pandemic store closures
Image: photocritical/Shutterstock.com The White Company today said strong online demand helped it mitigate sales lost as its stores closed for lockdown in its latest full financial year. The clothing-to-homewares retailer, ranked Top50 in RXUK Top500 research, says it saw strong sales in both its stores and digital channels for the first seven months of the year - until the Covid-19 lockdown last March.
Zalando launches new sustainable fashion experiences as it predicts better than expected quarterly results
Zalando: a new sustainable approach to retail for consumers European online fashion and lifestyle platform Zalando has launched a new experience in the fashion store enabling customers to browse the more sustainable fashion assortment according to the values they care about.
Sweaty Betty appoints partner to manage international and UK returns
Shoppers walk past a branch of Sweaty Betty. Image: rblfmr/shutterstock.com Sweaty Betty is working with a new partner to manage its returns process as the number of international shoppers buying from it increased over the last year. The sportswear retailer, ranked Top250 in RXUK Top500 research, saw its online sales more than double during the year, helping to boost overall revenues by about 60% despite many of its 62 shops around the world having to close for Covid-19 lockdowns.
World Earth Day 2021: a focus on more sustainable fashion
Today, on April 22, we celebrate the 51st birthday of World Earth Day. And what better time to reflect on our individual impact on the planet? What changes should we be making to build a more sustainable future? When we think of fast fashion in the context of the environment, there are often many problematic associations that come to mind.
UK Ecommerce 2021 Report in Discussion - Webinar
A deep-dive analysis into the state of ecommerce in one of the biggest B2C ecommerce markets in the world. This webinar was aired on 27th April 2021 at 2pm. Download the United Kingdom 2021 Ecommerce Report During the event, our panel of experts from ACI Worldwide and Tealium discussed the UK Ecommerce 2021 Report in depth - explored everything from the pandemic and it’s impact on consumer attitudes, through to changing delivery expectations and much more.
GUEST COMMENT A reckoning is coming for the e-commerce sector, how to be on the right side
Ecommerce is hot at the moment and valuations are going through the roof on the back of the Moonpig IPO, we can expect more big fund raises to follow this year.That’s not to suggest investors will take out their check book for just anyone though. Long-term, there simply isn’t enough capacity in the market to sustain so many businesses chasing the same consumers. 2019 was a black year for bricks and mortar and by the same token, we can expect a similar cull in the online space in the near future.
WHSmith points to strong online performance - but overall sales across channels fall 44%
Many of WHSmith's high street shops stayed open during lockdown. Image courtesy of WHSmith WH Smith today pointed to a strong online performance as it reported profitable high street operations and positioned itself for the reopening of travel. But group sales fell by 44% over the first half of its financial year and it reported a pre-tax loss.
EDITORIAL How shoppers restyle ecommerce as omni-channel
Mobile and on the move: the new world of omni-channel (Image: AdobeStock) News that Sainsbury’s has seen profits drop 39% masks the fact that it, like so many other retailers, has seen a surge in online sales. It, for one, saw online rise from 8 to 17% of total sales over 2020 and its revamp of Argos and Habitat has been driven, in no small part, by thrusting uptake of online in lockdown.
Data Is Critical, No Matter How Large – Or Small – Your Business - Minutehack
The barriers to entry to selling online have become lower than ever as platforms such as Shopify have commodified various components of eCommerce infrastructure. The pandemic has forced the issue for many SMEs well-ahead of their growth roadmap. This puts some entrepreneurs in a challenging position given longer-term online success in contingent on understanding how to collect and use data.
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