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Articles by Samuel Cane
Optimise now to prevent poor Peak ’22 performance
by Samuel Cane, Managing Director of Astound Commerce UK The current cost-of-living crisis will impact UK and European consumers’ shopping habits this peak trading season. So how should brands and retailers prepare so they are ready to capitalise on the Golden Quarter in a period when customer cautiousness and pricing sensitivity is on the rise?
Effect of the Ukraine Russia war already being felt on international trade and ecommerce - with costs and supply chain issues likely to rise further in future - Strategy and Innovation - InternetRetailing
The impact of war in Ukraine is already being felt on international trade and ecommerce deliveries, while rising costs and product prices are likely to be felt in future, along with supply chain issues, new analysis suggests. Parcel comparison website ParcelHero says the costs of the conflict, which is already directly affecting both Ukraine and Russia, will be felt by UK companies – even if they do not themselves trade in Eastern Europe.
GUEST COMMENT How retailers and brands are embracing omnichannel post-pandemic
Samuel Cane, MD UK at Astound Commerce Retailers and brands are pulling down the barriers between their channels to reach and wow the post-pandemic customer, says Samuel Cane, MD UK at Astound Commerce. Despite a transformation in the way many consumers now shop, the boost that benefited many brands during the pandemic has not always been sustained as the world slowly returns to normal.
Poundland buys pureplay discounter as it plans nationwide ecommerce expansion
Poundland says Poundshop will help it to expand across the UK. Screenshot of Poundshop.com Poundland has bought online discounter Poundshop.com and says its infrastructure will help it rollout its own pilot ecommerce operation nationwide. The multichannel discounter plans to build on experience of its new acquisition to develop and scale up its own online operation, which started as a pilot in Birmingham and Walsall and has now been extended into the Midlands and South Yorkshire.
First sustainable wallets launched to reduce carbon emissions from checkout payments
Wallets that cut checkout CO2 can be surprisingly effective Sustainable payment provider, HELPFUL, has launched branded digital wallets to help businesses make their checkouts greener, faster and attract new customers. The branded wallets combined the speed of open banking and lower transaction costs, while also saving an estimated 80% of the CO2 produced by current payment solutions.
Ecommerce delivery specialist DPD welcomes Oxford move to pilot UK's first zero emissions zone
The UK's first pilot Zero Emissions Zone has been launched in Oxford. Image courtesy of DPD Oxford is piloting Britain’s first Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ), a trial that it will use to understand how a larger such zone would work.The launch was welcomed by ecommerce delivery company DPD, whose driver Mohammed Bilal Khan joined the launch with his zero-emission electric van (pictured).
RETAILCRAFT RECAP Part 2:“By no means stereotypical” - logistics, cannabis, data, pivots…
Listen to the full podcast to find out more! In part 2 of our latest RetailCraft podcast episode, Ian Jindal and Jamie Merrick meet with Gavin Sathianathan, chief executive officer at Alta Flora, a health technology platform that uses patient data to help produce evidence-based medical treatments. Listen to the full episode on Apple Music and Spotify now to find out why Gavin left his role at Facebook, packed up his family and moved to Colorado to set up a cannabis store.
Zalando reports 30% rise in full-year sales, and is set to expand fulfilment services while improving sustainability
Image courtesy of Zalando Zalando today set out plans for expanding its fulfilment network and services, while improving its sustainability, as it reported a 30% rise in sales in its latest financial year. The fashion and lifestyle platform says customer numbers grew by more than 10m as it expanded to six new markets. But it warned that war in Ukraine could have an impact on its results for the coming financial year. Zalando today reports revenues of €10.4bn (£8.7bn) in 2021.
Overview - Fidelitas
The Essentials: Customer-Centricity, Convenience & Engagement By Gerry Szatvanyi, CEO of OSF Digital Automation: The Missing Link in Your E-commerce Business By Mark Simon, VP of Strategy, Celigo Bridging Digital and Physical Experiences By Vijay Talreja, co-founder & Director, Adapty 4 Ways to Use Visual Commerce in 2022: What retailers need to know By Samuel Cane, MD, Astound Commerce UK Is it time to get back to Customer Experience (CX)?
4 Ways to Use Visual Commerce in 2022: What retailers need to know
The Essentials: Customer-Centricity, Convenience & Engagement By Gerry Szatvanyi, CEO of OSF Digital Automation: The Missing Link in Your E-commerce Business By Mark Simon, VP of Strategy, Celigo Bridging Digital and Physical Experiences By Vijay Talreja, co-founder & Director, Adapty 4 Ways to Use Visual Commerce in 2022: What retailers need to know By Samuel Cane, MD, Astound Commerce UK Is it time to get back to Customer Experience (CX)?
GUEST COMMENT How to create a customer experience that is true to your brand
Samuel Cane, CXO & MD at Astound Commerce The beautiful brand experiences that companies go to such lengths to create, either through their products, through marketing campaigns or through the in-store universes they create as brand meccas, often fall apart once it goes live online. But why does this happen, asks Samuel Cane, CXO & MD Astound Agency and what can be done to fix it? Everyone has one or two anecdotes about brands delivering an inconsistent experience across a single buying journey.
The price is right - or is it?
This white paper produced in partnership with Avalara considers the challenges around cross-border final landed price and factors in the additional complexities that Brexit has introduced. We also delve into the importance of final landed price from the consumer’s point of view; as well as outlining the best practices for retailers when it comes to boosting the customer experience.
Ikea brings digital and sustainability together as it trials next generation store format
Shoppers can now use their mobiles more widely in-store in Ikea's next gen store. Image courtesy of Ikea Ikea has unveiled its next generation store format in Shanghai – and says that if the new “interactive and intuitive” retail experience is successful it will roll it out in other markets from 2022.
Poundland doubles size of online trial to reach one in nine UK residents
Poundland's online delivery service is now available to more than 7m UK shoppers. Image: Shutterstock Poundland says that around one in nine UK residents are now able to buy from it online after the discount retailer doubled the size of its pilot online delivery service. The service, which operates from Poundland’s online fulfilment centre in Cannock, Staffordshire, from today extends further across the Midlands and into South Yorkshire.
Monsoon Accessorize Trust says it will continue to support Afghanistan education and community projects
A Monsoon Accessorize store in Chesterfield. Image: loocmill/Shutterstock Multichannel retailer Monsoon Accessorize says its charitable trust will continue to support education projects and communities in Afghanistan, even as the Taliban takes control oft the country’s government. The retailer’s Monsoon Accessorize Trust has been working with handicraft projects in the country since 1976, when Monsoon founder Peter Simon first travelled overland to Asia.
More than a third of Hobbs’ personal shopping appointments now virtual
A shopper collects her Hobbs purchase in-store. Image courtesy of Hobbs/OneStock More than a third of personal shopping appointments at Hobbs London now take place online, after the fashion retailer reimagined its customer experience in the wake of pandemic. The retailer, founded in 1981 and ranked Top100 in RXUK Top500 research, has put more focus on omnichannel services in the wake of Covid-19 and accompanying lockdowns.
eCommerce v stores: arch rivals or partners in retail?
With Debenhams and HMV among the retailers announcing the latest high-street store closures, multichannel retailers of every size and shape are keenly aware that they need to employ every trick in the book to boost footfall to ensure their branches remain relevant and profitable.
UGC: a marketer’s secret weapon to converting more shoppers
A brand’s greatest asset is its customers. Costly to acquire and challenging to retain, loyal customers are also powerful ambassadors who can help their peers discover new brands and ultimately become customers themselves. Whilst this may be marketing 101, many brands are still failing to truly tap into the benefits of word-of-mouth. This is particularly true when it comes to user generated content (UGC).
Customer-centric marketing in the connected era
Over the last fifteen years, consumer technology adoption has exploded, boosting the multitude of ways for consumers to access products and services. The old world saw growth from store openings and ad-spend with competition coming in the form of like-for-like retailers battling it out for footfall, via location and cost. Today, consumers interact with businesses and brands in completely different ways.
4 key trends that are driving global fashion ecommerce
The fashion ecommerce sector is currently undergoing a major transformation. Revenues are growing globally, while business models are evolving as new direct to consumer entrants lead the trend of providing more personalised experiences to online shoppers. To find out what this means for retailers and their online strategies, Nosto analysed consumer behaviour across 1.2 billion visits to fashion websites during 2018.
Making omnichannel engagement much more than an e-receipt
Your average consumer tends to buy with their hearts and justify with their heads. This duality has become even more pronounced over the past decade as the ubiquity of technology has created a phenomenon dubbed the ‘always-on consumer’. This breed of shopper has essentially taken the upper-hand in the purchasing journey. They don’t just talk about their favourite brands – they text and tweet about them too.
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