First, it was all about bricks and mortar stores. Then retailers had to adapt to online shopping. Now, consumers expect to seamlessly purchase through any and all available channels. Sarah Dunn and Elly Strang asked nine top New Zealand retail specialists how they’re addressing demand for omnichannel solutions.

Encouraging omnichannel adoption eCommerce platform solutions provider eStar is an omnichannel specialist which works with some of the biggest retailers in New Zealand. Its clients include Country Road, Briscoe Group and Rodd & Gunn. It has experience in implementing click and collect models for retailers, and foresees major growth in this area. Chief executive Andrew Buxton tells us more.

Survey reveals how industry is adapting

Nine in 10 e-commerce retailers are adopting new technology at a rapid rate in response to a fast-changing retail market, according to a survey from SLI Systems conducted at the recent SLI Connect summit in Sydney.

SLI Connect is an annual one-day event that brings together Australia’s leading retailers to discuss, explore and learn from one another’s e-commerce experiences and goals.

 

Google recently published data on the online behaviours of the New Zealand consumer as of mid-2015

By Greg Randall

First Published by EConsultancy on 6 March, 2016

Though none of Google’s findings is breaking news, what’s important for NZ retailers is not the data itself, but how to respond to it.  

This article reviews the four key insights and provides guidance on how retailers could (and should) respond to build greater customer experiences. 

2015 was a big year for ecommerce as retailers found their groove in the online marketplace and fought off international competition. eStar CEO Andrew Buxton gives some insights on some of the trends in store for 2016.

Opinion Piece by Andrew Buxton, CEO eStar

With the continuing growth in online shopping a less glamorous side of this trend is the increase in online fraud. As we head into the major shopping season of the year, expectations are that this year will be no exception.

Globally online retail fraud now accounts for over one per cent of all online sales, and with annual growth at nearly 24 per cent per annum it presents a clear and real threat to Australasian retailers. In this online environment, merchants are liable for every payment they receive. With credit cards without a signature being the most common payment method accepted, there is no fallback to the banks - online, merchants are responsible for their own security.

Services to help identify individuals – such as the MasterCard Identity Check are helpful and have some impact. But online fraud is largely “friendly” fraud, which means better verification of an individual won’t make any difference.