Retail and e-commerce - January 2019

Where does retail grow and flourish?
Online retail continues to grow, for example in the Netherlands by around 20% in 2018. The consumer has become more digitally oriented than before, according to a new report (in Dutch, 677 kB) by ABN AMRO (in Dutch). Growth in revenue is fine, but turning a profit is something else; the 'brick' shops and discounters can also offer low prices and the returns of purchased goods are causing more headaches for the pure online shops.
UNCTAD has published the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-commerce Index 2018 as a report (761 kB). In the index the Netherlands is ranked number 1 worldwide as the country that is best prepared for online retail. Factors of interest are the many secure servers - a proxy for webshops - and the high percentage of online shoppers: 76% of the population aged 15 and over. The sharpest increase in the share of NL online shoppers in 2018 is seen among the over-65s, according to recent results from the survey ‘ICT usage in households and by individuals 2018’ conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

What does the consumer think?
Delivering an excellent experience with every online interaction will ultimately increase customer loyalty, according to new research by MetaPack. If retailers and branded goods manufacturers succeed in enabling customers to compose their own deliveries and adapt quickly and according to specific requirements to their needs, this leads to long-term commitment and repeat purchases. You can download the report after filling in your details.
Convey reports the results of its third annual study into consumer expectations regarding the reliability of delivery of purchased goods. Of the more than 1,500 shoppers surveyed, 98% confirm that shipping affects brand loyalty and 84% indicate that they are unlikely to return after a negative experience - a 34% increase over 2017. You can download the report after filling in your details.
The 2018 DotCom eCommerce survey on clothing and health and beauty products is a good illustration of the success factors in online retail. Important are: omnichannel (both physical and online), offering an app, free shipping, a good 'unboxing' experience and offering surprise gifts. You can download the report after filling in your details.
The increase in Internet connectivity paves the way for e-commerce in many global markets, according to Nielsen's Connected Commerce report. It provides insight into the globally connected consumer, the store characteristics and the various product categories in order to identify their growth potential. You can download the report after filling in your details.

PMMI 'Handbook' online packaging
A research report by PMMI examines the changes that e-commerce brings about in the consumer supply chain, from making the product to delivering to the customer. The report describes the challenges at each stage of the supply chain, identifies opportunities and shows where it can offer benefits to change quickly, now or in the (near) future. You can download the executive summary after filling in your e-mail address.

Air, returns, urbanization and other online retail inconveniences
Broadcaster NOS has published an article (in Dutch) about packaging and shipping products ordered online. The article includes the instructive interactive online special Retour Rumoer (in Dutch) to show the effects of your online purchasing behaviour.
Increasing urbanisation makes the last mile of delivery more complex and crucial for the success of e-commerce companies, according to research (1.19 MB) by DHL and Euromonitor. By 2030, 600 million more people will be living in an urban environment, and substantial innovation will be required to provide them with sustainably and reliably serviced purchases.

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