General
Dutch eyewear chain Hans Anders has launched an AI tool on its website. An algorithm teaches the app to give personal online eyewear advice. In time, the app may also find its way to other markets, including those of its sister chain eyes + more.
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Electronics
The future of retail lies not in selling products but in building a platform on which consumers can share their passion. CEO Ben Cornelisse describes the unique retail model of Kamera Express.
The recent growth acceleration for e-commerce is here to stay: even after the pandemic European shoppers will continue to buy significantly more online. This applies to all age groups, in every product category.
Fashion
Last year Zalando grew by 30 per cent thanks to a quarter more customers. The e-commerce player expects to keep up the momentum and even triple sales from ten to thirty billion euros by 2025.
Furniture
How can hardware and home furnishing retailers make online sales profitable? On average, delivering a piece of furniture to a home costs the retailer more than it yields. Yet, consumers increasingly take it for granted.
Electronics group Fnac Darty, also the owner of Vanden Borre, benefited from a strong online year in 2020 and wants to hold on to that applying a new strategic plan. In Belgium, for instance, they will launch a subscription service for repairs.
Stores have become an indispensable part of the omnichannel strategy in times of Covid: it is a place where parcels get prepared, sent or collected from. Deloitte believes this trend will continue. But how can it be done more efficiently?
Property
Is it a fulfilment centre or a store? The future will be all about a mixture of the two: hybrid shops. The Covid-19 pandemic has given stores a new purpose, notes real estate player CBRE.
Department store chain Galeria Inno, the Belgian division of Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, wants to thoroughly renew all 16 branches over the next three years. The branch in Schoten near Antwerp is the first to be given a new look. The retailer is also innovating online.
When it comes to digitisation, the Chinese are well ahead of the West. The Chinese are also one step ahead when it comes to containing the coronavirus. It is no surprise then that Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has a few tips ready for 2021.
It was an exceptional third quarter for Zalando: the online clothing retailer saw sales rise with 29.9%. The platform aims to digitise more physical merchants. Also in Belgium, where fashion chain LolaLiza joins as a new partner.
Electronics retailer Fnac Darty reinforces its omni-channel model and focuses on additional services and new product groups. This led to good revenue growth in the third quarter, with strong online sales.
French decoration chain Maisons du Monde has opened its 23rd Belgian store, in the centre of Antwerp. The retailer adds more services and brings the online world to the physical store.
The online shift caused by the corona crisis is being exaggerated, according to a report by GlobalData. Consumers still buy the most in the physical store, even during the lockdown. E-commerce needs the brick and mortar store very badly.
Food
Amazon is attacking the supermarket landscape with several concepts at the same time: after the growth of home delivery during the corona crisis, the cash-less Amazon Go concept is expanding further, while "regular" supermarkets are also being added.
The coronavirus crisis will have an impact for a long time to come in the retail sector. This may be a threat, but it also offers new perspectives: many companies see opportunities to adjust their business model. Resilience is high, 'back to normal' is no option.
