10 MULTICHANNELNEWS


WHO ARE MULTICHANNEL’S MOVERS AND SHAKERS?


are two US-based organisations Facebook and Google, indicating just how infl uential these non-retail businesses have become in UK retail. For the second year running Retailinsider.com has compiled the Movers & Shakers list, sponsored by K3 Retail, to fi nd the most powerful people in multichannel/e-commerce and also those individuals likely to become the big names of the future. Glynn Davis of Retailinsider.com


T


writes exclusively for Retail Technology about the process and any discernable trends. From the Top 100 list, the fi rst 30 have been placed in order of infl uence (while the remaining 70 are placed alphabetically) by an Advisory Panel of experienced retailers and advisors. It is here that the key trends of 2011 can be spotted. For starters, the top four does not include a traditional retailer, despite the growing hype around multichannel. Facebook (Christian Hernandez and Mark Zuckerberg),


opping the multichannel and e-commerce Movers & Shakers Top 100 list for 2011


Google (Matt Brittin and Peter Fitzgerald) and Apple (Tim Cook and the recently deceased Steve Jobs) are essentially service providers. But such is their increasing dominance in their respective fi elds and continued expansion into new areas, there is the view that they will have a growing impact on the retail sector in the future.


The same argument can be put


forward for third-placed Amazon (Chris North and Jeff Bezos). It might have started out selling books, but it has become a lot more powerful as it sells increasing amounts of third-party goods, expands into new categories, opens up shop around the world, sells IT services, and recently launched a tablet device to compete with the Apple iPad. Moving further down the list


we have the expected names of the leaders of the multichannel/e- commerce divisions of the big retailers such as Laura Wade-Gery at Marks & Spencer, Ken Towle at Tesco, Andrea O’Donnell at John Lewis and Tanya Lawler at Sainsbury’s.


Tesco is using a Dematic automated materials picking and handling system for its new 120,000-square-foot grocery fulfi lment centre located in Enfi eld. When it goes live in January 2012 the system will help enable Tesco to double the pick rates it currently achieves for grocery home delivery. The Enfi eld dot.com store will take over picking for online grocery orders from nine Tesco retail stores in the region.


RETAIL TECHNOLOGY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011


Among this top tier of names was the interesting appearance of two delivery fi rms. Tom Allason of Shutl and Mark Lewis of Collect+ both make the top 30, which highlights the recognition that the last mile is now receiving. The Advisory Panel regarded it as a vitally important ingredient to multichannel success.


Those who also appeared


much more prominently this year were investors. Sir Terry Leahy, Carmen Busquets, Bill Currie and Iain McDonald, Brent Hoberman, Saul Klein and Robin Klein, and Tom Teichman are all present on the list as a result of their helping to grow the multichannel/e-commerce industry via the commitment of both money and expertise.


Some of the businesses they


have backed have grown into large organisations whose leaders also appear on the 2011 Movers & Shakers list. These include Nick Robertson of Asos, John Gallemore and Matthew Moulding of The Hut Group, Kevin Cornils of Glasses Direct, Joe Murray and Richard Tucker of World Stores, and Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish at Notonthehighstreet.com. Those largely absent this year


were individuals representing e- commerce platform providers and systems integrators, with Javelin Group, Venda, BT Expedite and Salmon no longer fi nding a place on the list. The reason for this fall-off was the widespread view among contributors to the compilation process of the list that there was little to make providers in the marketplace stand out, which has removed some of their infl uence within the industry. Whether they regain their former


power will have to be seen in the Movers & Shakers Top 100 2012 list, which will be compiled throughout the next 12 months and released later next year.


◆ Home electricals retailer Comet is using Quest Software application performance monitoring and management tools improve its online customer shopping experience. By using Quest’s Foglight product, Comet can record, replay and analyse the customer journey, and proactively react to any bottlenecks pinpointed by its tools. It will also generate cost savings by streamlining tools and optimising hardware.


◆British fashion retailer Laura Ashley has re-signed with provider Venda, extending the contract for its cloud based e-commerce site for another two years. Gail Cayuela, Laura Ashley head of direct business, said it was a major part of its cross-channel strategy: “It is important that we have a platform we can rely on and that is fl exible enough to support our ambitions.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40