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NEWS
wnDirect expands international team with Australia & Asia Pacific in its sights
Launched a little over two years ago wnDirect supports retailers targeting international markets. Te business has developed a US
market offering outbound operations in partnership with Newgistics. Tasked with building its international operation, and bringing new etail clients on board, Hendrik Kummeling has joined wnDirect as International Director. Hendrik has significant sector experience having held senior roles with TNT Express and PostNL. Recently as head of international business development at PostNL Parcels, Hendrik set up the PostNL business in China. Unsurprisingly Hendrik’s initial focus
has been wnDirect’s China offering. A processing centre has been set up in Shenzhen that will provide wnDirect’s Chinese customers with a bespoke delivery solution. wnDirect has developed a unique go-to-market package,
A new iPhone app from Ocado enables customers to scan barcodes of products they wish to buy for auto addition to their shopping baskets. Tis follows Waitrose news of a home scanning
House of Fraser signs Barbara Hulanicki
Biba founder Barbara Hulanicki has entered into a consultancy arrangement with House of Fraser which bought the Biba brand in 2009. Hulanicki will design a capsule collection for the brand which is one of House of Fraser’s top selling labels.
Selfridges posts record results
Selfridges achieved sales of £1.2 billion from its store operations in London, Birmingham and Manchester, and growing online activity. Te premium retailer has enjoyed a strong retail sales boost for the designer brands it carries from wealthy overseas “shopping tourists”.
IKEA UK sales soar
IKEA’s UK sales for the year to August 2014 came in over £1.4 billion, am 11.4 per cent increase over the previous year. Strengthening consumer confidence as well as revamped ranges and keen pricing were attributed.
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wnOnline, which enables retailers from the UK, Europe and the US to have an online presence in China. By utilising wnOnline they can be ‘online’ in a short lead time (60-90 days), with low risk and low cost. wnDirect will operate as a business partner acting as the Chinese legal entity, managing the Chinese CMS, providing Chinese customer services, managing the local country marketing campaigns, and monitoring the inventory. China has a potential market of over 1.4bn consumers and therefore offers significant opportunity. However, the risks and the challenges retailers have to overcome to operate in the region has switched many of them off. Making this reduced risk managed option incredibly attractive. Once the China offering is firmly established Hendrik will then turn his attention to the outbound Australia and Asia Pacific launches and then continue building European operations.
Ocado launches Scan & Shop app
device called Hiku which it is currently trialling with team members –ending a customer trial early in the new year. Waitrose says that Hiku is about four times faster than a smartphone app.
Findel considers sale of Kitbag
Whilst first half performance has improved at Express Gifts with a 6 per cent year on year rise in sales as well as growth in new customer acquisition, its direct sales operation Kleeneze reported a drop in sales of 24 per cent for the half year to September 26th. Kitbag showed a rise in sales of 7 per cent as well as a reduction in losses for the period. Findel is undertaking a full strategic review of Kitbag which is a business of two parts – a direct etailer of sportswear in its own right - as well as an ecommerce storefront and back end services provider for various sports clubs. A sale of Kitbag has not been ruled out. Meanwhile sales in its B2B educational supplies company are 5 per cent down year on year in an increasingly competitive market.
TECH TALK
River Island app on Kindle
Fashion retailer River Island has made it transactional shopping app available on Kindle for the first time. Te app allows customers to browse the full range and complements River Island’s offering via iPhone, Android, iPad and Blackberry apps.
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PowaTag goes live at Twickenham Stadium
Fans at Twickenham Stadium will be able to pre-order food and drink following the introduction of PowaTag is part of the RFU’s wider strategy to enhance the match day experience for fans at the ‘Home of England Rugby’. Purchases can then be picked up
from special express lines located at six bars throughout Twickenham Stadium and the West Fan Village, minimising overall queueing time. PowaTag will also allow fans to instantly purchase England Rugby merchandising from the comfort of their seat with the in-app catalogue. PowaTag enables users to complete transactions in seconds, anytime and anywhere, using a variety of triggers including scanning tags on anything from products to billboards, using specialised links in social media or even recognising digital watermarks encoded into live and pre-recorded broadcasts. eCommerce veteran and CEO of
Powa Technologies, Dan Wagner, comments: “With an expanded range and enhanced new services, PowaTag is bringing a whole new level of freedom and mobility to fans at Twickenham. “PowaTag is a game changer because it is not simply an exclusive app solely for use at the stadium, it’s a global service launching with retailers and brands around the world. Tis is about much more than grabbing a swift half- time pint or picking up a team shirt. PowaTag is a global network that offers an entirely new way to complete transactions.
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NEWS
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