Retail IT News For VARs — May 9, 2014
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
This week, consumer trends top the headlines. Predictions are that by the end of 2014, at least 50 cents of every retail dollar will be spent online rather than in brick-and-mortar stores. Another article follows discussing the trend of linking search ads to mobile apps to take shoppers directly to a page within the mobile apps rather than to a Web page. In addition, new research shows online retailing continues to far outpace that of store-based retailing by a 4-to-1 margin, and the National Retail Federation (NRF) says retail saw job gains of 28,000 in April.
Digital Will Influence Almost 50 Percent Of Shoppers By Year’s End
This article from Internet Retailer examines the growing role of the Internet on how consumers shop. New research from Deloitte Digital says digital interactions will influence 50 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores at the end of 2014 — equal to roughly $1.5 trillion of store spending — up from 36 cents in November 2013, when Deloitte ran its online survey with more than 2,000 U.S. consumers. Nearly 70 percent of consumers go online before they shop in stores, and 36 percent connect to the Web while in stores.
Linking Search Ads To Mobile Apps: The Future of Retailer Marketing Strategies
A new Google feature for Android phones lets a retailer take a shopper directly to a page within its mobile app, rather than to a page on a mobile web site, according to this article from Internet Retailer. Google says it will add the service to other phones, although one expert says that could take a while. Meanwhile, Facebook will likely add a similar app-linking capability in the near future with its new Facebook.
Growth Rate Of America's 500 Largest Web Merchants Trounces That Of Overall U.S. Retail Sales By A 4-To-1 Margin
Growth in online retailing continues to far outpace that of store-based retailing. North America's 500 largest web merchants account for 87 percent of all e-retailing sales in the U.S., according to Internet Retailer's newly published 2014 Top 500 Guide. Now in its 11th edition, the 448-page 2014 Top Guide ranks the 500 leading e-retailers in the U.S. and Canada based on their annual Web sales. North America's Top 500 e-retailers collectively reached $255.6 billion in 2013 global online sales, an annual growth rate of 17.11 percent.
Retail Jobs Added In April, Says NRF
The National Retail Federation reported an increase of 28,000 retail jobs in April 2014 compared to March 2014 and 241,000 year over year, according to Chain Store Age. March's retail employment was revised upward by 2,700 jobs. The increase reflects the growth and positive momentum seen in the retail industry in recent months. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy as a whole added 288,000 jobs in April, reducing the unemployment rate from 6.7 to 6.3 percent.
Retail IT Talking Points
According to a company press release, eBay attracted 6.5 million new mobile customers during the first quarter of 2014 and the value of merchandise sold on eBay Inc.’s U.S. marketplace, excluding vehicles, increased about 11 percent year over year in the first quarter, and PayPal revenue increased 19.4 percent year over year to $1.84 billion from $1.54 billion. PayPal’s payment volume grew 26.8 percent to $52.0 billion from $41.0 billion for the same period last year.
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Retail IT Tech Center.