eCommerce information, facts, news and articles.

RT @google: Tweets and updates and search, oh my!

At Google, our goal is to create the most comprehensive, relevant and fast search in the world. In the past few years, an entirely new type of data has emerged — real-time updates like those on Twitter have appeared not only as a way for people to communicate their thoughts and feelings, but also as an interesting source of data about what is happening right now in regard to a particular topic.

Given this new type of information and its value to search, we are very excited to announce that we have reached an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results. We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you’ll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information.

Posted by Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience

Create a Shopping List • Keep track of the products you want to buy

• Create and share your wish list

• Access your shopping list from any computer

• Annotate products with your own notes

• Sort your shopping list by price, item or date

http://www.google.co.uk/shoppinglist?hl=en_GB

How do we [really] bridge the gap between traditional in store retailing and online retail. 

With online visitor/sales conversions being typically in single percentage figures, surely there are some mechanisms to bring the retailer and customer closer so that the retailer can understand the customers requirements needs, budget and expectations as well as being able to offer recommendations based on that particular moment.

Does social networking, the blog, twitter, facebook etc.. really bridge that gap?

Is it science, technology or back to basics?

Help by taking part in our quick survey. 

Retail sales in Ireland in June have increased for the first time in four months.

The Central Statistics Office revealed that the volume of retail sales, excluding cars, in Ireland was 2% higher in June than in the previous month. The value of sales grew by 0.1%.

Clothing and footwear and department store sales drove the performance, reflecting lower prices on the high street.

While almost all retail sectors reported an annual decrease in sales in June, clothing and footwear notched up a 3.2% monthly increase in sales volumes.

Year-on-year overall retail sales in Ireland dropped 5.5%.

Ulster Bank economist Lynsey Clemenger said the June figures were “an encouraging, if tentative, omen for retail prospects in the third quarter”.

source : Drapers

Internet retail spending will grow by £12.3 billion to £21.3 billion by the end of 2011, according to new research from Experian and PayPal

Online retailers are set to ride to the rescue of Britain’s retail sector by posting the only growth in British retailing before 2012, according to the forecasts in a new report conducted for PayPal.

The PayPal UK Online Retail Report, undertaken by Experian, forecasts that by the end of 2011, high street sales will plummet by up to £8.3 billion while online retail sales in the UK are set to grow by up to 137% per cent. This expected growth, amounting to as much as £12.3 billion, would see the value of annual online retail sales jump from just under £9 billion to £21.3 billion.

The report is part of a major study for PayPal into the future of online retail and its role during and after the current recession. It suggests that the massive online growth is driven by a new breed of ‘considered consumers’ who are heading online to find better value.

The report forecasts that, from 2008 to 2011:

• Retail sales figures will grow by just 0.2%
• High street sales figures will decrease by up to 1.4%
• Overall non-store (catalogue and online) sales will increase by 49%

The figures would see the online retail market more than double its market share from 3.2% in 2008 to a possible 7.4% of total retail spending by the end of 2011.

“The value of online retail can no longer be dismissed as a sideshow. Its phenomenal growth is not only forecast to deliver sales of as much as £21.3 billion by 2011, but a £12.3 billion increase will also ensure that the entire UK retail sector is growing again by the end of 2011,” says Carl Scheible, managing director at PayPal UK.

“The recession has been tough for many UK retailers as they deal with the slowdown and its knock-on impact on consumer spending,” he adds. “Of course, many of the major high street brands have actually enjoyed the online boom, despite facing challenges in their own stores. The improvements in online shopping will continue to drive consumers until they are spending one in every 14 pounds online.”