The UK’s online retailers have topped a new ranking of companies for overall digital maturity - a measure of a firm's progress on the journey to digital transformation.
A study by technology consultancy BearingPoint of 593 companies across eight countries, as well as 10 different industry sectors in the UK, revealed that retailers are leading the way in areas such e-commerce and social media.
Companies to lead in overall digital maturity across all ten industry sectors were e-commerce giant Amazon in first place, followed by online fashion site ASOS, electrical goods site AO.com, catalogue retailer Argos and supermarket chain Tesco in fifth place.
However, despite the clear lead in many areas of digital expertise amongst retailers, the study suggested they were falling behind in the field of digital marketing. BearingPoint singled out affiliate marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO) as potential room for improvement in retailers’ digital offerings.
In the e-commerce category, however, it was Sainsbury’s that achieved the highest score due to its optimised online grocery shopping experience, closely followed by embattled department store chain House of Fraser, which was recently saved from administration by Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley.
Responding to the study, Stuart Higgins, partner at BearingPoint, said the fact that retailers had been impacted by new technologies, international competition and changing customer behaviour earlier than other industries meant that they offered tough competition when it came to comparing levels of digital maturity.
“While other industries should look to retail leaders as digital innovators, our study also shows that in addition to digital marketing, customer service is an area of weakness – particularly in terms of live-chat support and email responses from contact centres.”
He explained that retailers also scored poorly on website integration, particularly when it comes to the alignment of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) process and the standard of consumer-company contact from within apps and on mobile sites.
Latest News
-
Co-op avoids shortages amidst cyber hack by ‘diverting goods’ to remote stores
-
Tesco launches F&F online
-
H&M Group secures minority investment in e-commerce platform Centra
-
Amazon brings cut-price Haul service to the UK as rival to Temu
-
Zalando embraces AI for faster fashion content production
-
Ralph Lauren appoints global chief digital officer with focus on AI
Poundland significantly reduces antisocial behaviour, aggression and shoplifting with Motorola Solutions VT100 body cameras
Retail should not be a high-risk occupation. As a company, we are focused on listening to our colleagues and customers to help them with the issues they are facing in-store and so far, the feedback on our body cameras has been excellent. They act as a great visual deterrent, help to de-escalate situations and overall, this project has significantly aided our goal to make the retail environment safer.
For further information on Motorola Solutions’ retail security products, including body cameras, click here.
For further information on Motorola Solutions’ retail security products, including body cameras, click here.
Supplying demand: how fashion retailers can meet the needs of customers and still be sustainable
The fashion industry is no stranger to breaking the mould and setting trends, but the pursuit of style can come at a huge cost to the environment.
New legislation, such as the European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, will set mandatory minimums for the inclusion of recycled fibres in textiles, making them longer-lasting and easier to repair.
New legislation, such as the European Union's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, will set mandatory minimums for the inclusion of recycled fibres in textiles, making them longer-lasting and easier to repair.
© 2024 Perspective Publishing Privacy & Cookies
Recent Stories