Shareholders will obviously indicate their feelings re overall year-end results via the M&S share price, but M&S online performance deserves some consideration by NAMs.
Essentially, at yesterday's AGM, the biggest problem this time around was M&S’s online channel, through which sales tumbled by 8.1 per cent despite a much-heralded relaunch and claims that customers think it’s really, really great, according to The Independent.
The key issue here is the hurdle-rate represented by Amazon for any retailer hoping to compete online:
First, one has to experience the ease of 1-Click ordering to appreciate how clunky other sites are by comparison. In fact it has become so easy, I have personally had to remove the Amazon link from my desktop, in the vain hope that having to ‘re-search’ the site via Google will cause me to reconsider the extent of my real need each time…
Secondly, given my background in the family Mom ‘n’ Pop store, I had become concerned at family members’ apparent lack of conscience in deliberately over-ordering three dresses from Amazon, trying them on, keeping one and returning two, ‘no problem’…
To test the process I deliberately ordered a book I did not need, and found that the returns facility was easier than 1-Click…
However, the real clincher for me was Amazon’s distribution process:
In April, I took delivery of a package from Amazon. It was due between 1230 and 1330 on Wednesday, so at 1130 I did a parcel-check to find that my Amazon driver ‘Leo’ was currently four streets away on delivery 30, and still had 33 deliveries to make before reaching me at 1245…
In other words, this is what M&S - and any other retailer - is up against, in attempting to compete with Amazon, especially in clothing…
Anything less will simply become another apology at next year’s AGM…
Essentially, at yesterday's AGM, the biggest problem this time around was M&S’s online channel, through which sales tumbled by 8.1 per cent despite a much-heralded relaunch and claims that customers think it’s really, really great, according to The Independent.
The key issue here is the hurdle-rate represented by Amazon for any retailer hoping to compete online:
First, one has to experience the ease of 1-Click ordering to appreciate how clunky other sites are by comparison. In fact it has become so easy, I have personally had to remove the Amazon link from my desktop, in the vain hope that having to ‘re-search’ the site via Google will cause me to reconsider the extent of my real need each time…
Secondly, given my background in the family Mom ‘n’ Pop store, I had become concerned at family members’ apparent lack of conscience in deliberately over-ordering three dresses from Amazon, trying them on, keeping one and returning two, ‘no problem’…
To test the process I deliberately ordered a book I did not need, and found that the returns facility was easier than 1-Click…
However, the real clincher for me was Amazon’s distribution process:
In April, I took delivery of a package from Amazon. It was due between 1230 and 1330 on Wednesday, so at 1130 I did a parcel-check to find that my Amazon driver ‘Leo’ was currently four streets away on delivery 30, and still had 33 deliveries to make before reaching me at 1245…
In other words, this is what M&S - and any other retailer - is up against, in attempting to compete with Amazon, especially in clothing…
Anything less will simply become another apology at next year’s AGM…
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