With Christmas fast approaching multi-channel retailers are feeling confident about this festive season – 70% in fact, compared to 52% in 2013 according to a survey by Barclays. It also appears that consumers really embrace multi-channel retail, especially at peak trading times like Christmas, for example 95% of online shoppers are expected use ‘click and collect’ this Christmas. ‘Mobile’ shopping is on the increase too, when consumers use their tablets and smartphones to shop online, and this is also expected to be a key sales channel this Christmas season after its continuous growth throughout the year. According to research by Adobe EMEA, the UK will see 24% of sales coming from a mobile device this Christmas.
However, for multi-channel sports retailers, this service is important throughout the year, often driven by sports events such as Wimbledon, Rugby World Cup, the Ryder Cup and so forth, that can cause sales spikes and high demand. So how can independent sports retailers keep up with the trends and make adequate provision for peak trading times? With real time stock levels and integrated store and website, services like click and collect are simple to implement. By switching to a ‘responsive website’, where the content adjusts to the size of the users screen including tablets, retailers can reduce their risk of losing customers due to a problematic website shopping experience.
Are you feeling confident about this Christmas? What sports events are you expecting to drive sales over the coming year? Let us know over on the Cybertill Twitter @Cybertillretail or on our Facebook page.
To find out about Cybertill’s sports retail systems please visit the Cybertill stand in the Mallard room at the forthcoming STAG Buying Show at the Cotswold Water Park on the 23-24th November 2014.
