Marketing mix - the online retailers have never had it so good

An interesting article in the Sunday Times highlights the strong sales growth being achieved by online retailers who have got their business model right…

Some good case studies in this Sunday Times article.

In the battle to capture a share of consumer spending in each market, the online retailers seem to be winning.

According to the article, online shopping grew 38% in the first six months of 2008 (source: IMRG). By contrast, high-street sales are suffering (they declined 3.9% in June 2008 according to the Office for National Statistics).

I like this quote in the article:

“It is often the smaller retailers with niche products or with interesting retail propositions that seem to be having success. There will be a lot of opportunities for smaller players to profit if they can manage their start-up costs, get their supply chains right and work closely with their customers.”

The retail environment in an economic downturn is tough.  But for start-ups, it looks like the best place to start is online.

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