SAILING AHEAD – e-commerce
by Ron Wain, MD Deep South Media
Is your e-commerce business missing a trick as Great Britain sails away from membership of the EU?
Overseas shoppers searching for UK retailers online rose by 23% in the fourth quarter of last year, compared with the same period in 2015, according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) – Google online retail monitor.
Most searched sectors on smartphones were apparel (yes, including Christmas jumpers), followed by beauty, department stores, home and garden and leisure.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Digital continued to play a pivotal role in driving sales for UK retailers in the final quarter of 2016.”
In the wake of the Brexit referendum, foreign exchange rates have made goods from the UK cheaper to consumers overseas.
There is strong growth from Europe. For example, Croatia is up 106%, Hungary by 100% and Latvia by 91%.
Given these search trends, businesses in the UK may well look to enhance their e-commerce offers to capitalise on the popularity of UK retail across the English Channel.
If might be that you sell Halloween costumes, engagement rings, dresses, themed make-up and nails (such as Halloween and Christmas) and curtains. Items which showed demand.
But, given the clear consumer interest, is your e-commerce site clicking with overseas shoppers?
Deep South Media’s e-commerce associates can advise your business on how to maximise a great user experience for your customers.
For instance, a recent Google study found that only five of the top 20 UK retailers’ mobile sites load in less than two seconds – many of us may be tempted to click off if there is lag.
For more, please contact Ron Wain, Deep South Media’s managing director, pictured, at ron.wain@deepsouthmedia.co.uk
To drill down on the latest research findings: http://brc.org.uk/news/2017/uk-retail-retains-strong-brand-appeal-overseas
