Sue Azari’s Post

This week's updates in eCommerce 🛍️ ▪ SHEIN is reported to be accelerating its plans for a London Stock Exchange listing after its efforts to float in New York met pushback and regulatory obstacles from US lawmakers. This week Shein has also topped the list as the number one most successful start-up of the decade, according to the Start-up Success Index. ▪ Supermarket giant Asda has become the latest retailer to branch into residential property, unveiling plans to build 1,500 homes and create a new town centre in London. ▪ International fashion giant Zalando has announced a string of changes to its top team, to ensure “the effective execution” of its updated strategy. Co-founder David Schneider has handed over his co-chief executive role to David Schröder as part of the shake-up. ▪ Burberry has underperformed financially as it struggled with tepid demand for luxury clothing and accessories, and warns of more pressure to come in the luxury market. ▪ This is in contrast to luxury e-tailer Mytheresa who has revealed "excellent financials" for the third quarter, with net sales up by 18% as other fashion firms struggle amid a slowdown in luxury spending. ▪ Brazilian cosmetics giant and former owner of The Body Shop, Natura &Co, has posted widening losses as Avon International sales continued to fall in the first quarter of the year. ▪ Alibaba.com has posted growth in revenue in its full-year and quarterly results, despite profits plunging. In the first quarter of this year, revenue grew +8% to £103bn. ▪ Superdrug is boosting investment in its bricks-and-mortar footprint and will open 25 new stores in 2024 as it enhances “the physical shopping experience for customers". ▪ ASOS.com is set to launch online and in-store in India as it signs a new licensing agreement with local retail company Reliance Retail. ▪ Sainsbury's has announced a five-year strategic partnership with Microsoft which will see the tech company’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities drive the grocery giant’s strategy. ▪ Walmart has posted an increase in sales for the first quarter by 3.8% as it continues to win over upper-income consumers. Consolidated revenue for the quarter also increased by 6% to reach £127.5bn. ▪ The UAE has seen a +140% surge in monthly online shopping. A recent report analysed monthly e-commerce shopping patterns over the past 48 months, revealing that the UAE is increasingly moving towards a cashless society. #ecommerce #news

adidas delivered better than expected performance in the first quarter of this year and has increased its full-year guidance. Revenues increased by 8%. They turned this around from recently reporting their first annual loss in more than three decades. How did they do this? One of the biggest fashion brands in the world was previously very dependent on discounts, and under-dependent on marketing. Now they are building long-term. When you’re so big, branding is your lifeline. You can never under-invest in it. https://lnkd.in/eP-KwBp6 #ecommerce

Had an awesome first day at Seamless Middle East & Saudi Arabia in Dubai 🇦🇪 It was great to meet with so many new and familiar faces in the industry. I also had the opportunity to present mobile trends at the eCommerce University. If you missed it dropped me a message and let's catch up ☕️ I'll be speaking again tomorrow (Thursday 16th May) at 10am on the E-commerce Stadium stage, on a panel discussing 'Capturing commerce success with convenience: offering a frictionless and satisfying shopping experience'. Hope to see you there 👋 #SeamlessDXB

Wow. One of the biggest eCommerce advertisers in the US in the past 2 years - Temu  - is now going to pull back spend in the US to focus on Europe and other countries. Temu expects the US to reach less than 33% of its sales. Last year, it was 60%. How’s that for the impact of advertising? This move has potentially 3 meanings: 1. eCommerce brands in the US can finally catch a break when advertising on Meta, as Temu’s aggressive user acquisition pushed prices up. 2. Temu might focus more on retargeting in the US - still lots of opportunity for investment there as they try and retain their existing user base. 3. If Temu decides to spend heavily with Meta in Europe, this will affect the entire eCommerce advertising ecosystem, especially now, with a summer full of sporting events and the holiday season to follow. Buckle up. https://lnkd.in/eNhGNnaT #ecommerce

Thanks Future of Retail X for featuring my thoughts on the rise of experiential stores. Retailers have had to think outside the box when thinking of ways to lure shoppers back to stores post-covid, as consumers seek unique experiences that blend commerce and entertainment. Read the full article below 👇  #ecommerce

Is your eCommerce brand ready for the summer of sports? 🥇 Decathlon , the leading French sporting brand, is an official Olympics partner. SEPHORA, through its luxury brand LVMH, is also an Olympic and Paralympic sponsor. JD Sports Fashion just opened a global flagship store in Paris’s Champs-Élysées, ahead of the Olympics in Paris. Nike showcased never-before-seen products with 40 world-class elite athletes in Paris, using the Nike Air technology, ahead of the Olympics. Add all that to the sponsors of Euro 2024 such as AliExpress, adidas, Alipay, The Coca-Cola Company, Lidl GB, Unilever, and Qatar Airways This is usually the time for brands to start strategising about the next peak shopping season in Q4. Not this year. There’s a hot summer ahead of us, and no-one is going to miss out on this opportunity. Expect a halo effect on consumer purchases across categories such as sporting goods, televisions, and food/drink. eCommerce is dominating sponsorships and activities around the biggest sport events in the world, and if you're an eCommerce brand now is the time to start creating contextual marketing campaigns. #ecommerce

This week's updates in eCommerce 🛍️ ▪ Frasers Group will introduce a new digital platform across its websites and apps as it looks to improve its retail operations and online customer experience. Frasers Group has also emerged as the frontrunner to take over Ted Baker’s British operations after it collapsed into administration. ▪ Selfridges is to make job cuts due to the loss of tax-free shopping for international tourists and reduced luxury spending. ▪ MANGO has announced that it will be opening 20 new stores in the UK this year. ▪ Beauty brand Glossier, Inc. has partnered with Space NK as it looks to expand its retail footprint across the UK and Ireland. ▪ JD Sports Fashion opens the doors to its first store in the Middle East. The opening of sportswear store in Bahrain is part of its franchise agreement with Dubai-based retailer and distributor GMG. ▪ For its 10th anniversary, fashion platform About You has turned a profit: it has gone from over €140 million in losses to €3.2 million in profit. ▪ Apple has posted a decline in profits and revenue as sales of products, in particular iPhones, dropped. In its second quarter ending March 30, the iPhone manufacturer reported revenue of $90.8bn, down 4% year-over-year. ▪ Online fashion platform Zalando has seen revenue decrease and profitability improve for the first quarter of this year. Revenue decreased -0.6% to €2.2 billion. ▪ Value variety retailer The Range has improved its click-and-collect service so that customers can pick up their orders in 60 minutes. ▪ Fashion rental platform HURR has launched a new credit system, offering renters the chance to purchase rental pass bundles monthly, as the demand for long-term and “more flexible” rental takes off. #ecommerce #news

eCommerce and gaming 🤝 I've loved seeing how these verticals have been crossing over. Recent examples include Mango x Roblox, ASOS x The Sims, Nike x Fortnite, and UGG x Pokémon. As the gaming industry expands, expect e-commerce to continue innovating to capture this influential demographic. Read mine and Adam Smart's take on how these worlds are combining 👇 #ecommerce #gaming https://lnkd.in/eF57F37N

I'm a little late posting this, but I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the fantastic panel that I had the honour of hosting last week at App Promotion Summit. We had a dream lineup of Lucy Rosier (John Lewis & Partners, now BBC Studios!), Vijay Ram (ASOS.com), Sam Hopkinson (JD Sports Fashion), and Eugene Kuznetsov (Holland & Barrett) discussing retention and loyalty strategies for shopping apps. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insights to a fully packed house, you are industry superstars 💫 Shout out to Hannah Parvaz for being our excellent host, and Emily Hazlewood/Ed Comaromi for making the panel happen 🙏 #APSLondon #event