As the UK continues to lead the world in the lucrative and growing field of e-commerce and mobile shopping, i2i Events Group will introduce the new Retail Shop brand at Spring Fair International and sister event Autumn Fair International.
Exhibitors at the new Retail Shop, due to make its debut at Spring Fair International 2015, will represent a multitude of products and services that are essential to successful multi-channel retailing, such as: In-store and online solutions, logistics and fulfillment experts, marketing platforms, payment providers and specialists in packaging.
Retail Shop will provide a full-spectrum offering dedicated to cutting edge technology and retail sector solutions, aimed at ensuring i2i Events Group customers retain their competitive edge in a rapidly evolving global marketplace. 33 companies have already signed up to do the show, including Alibaba, Wirecard, Lil Packaging and Brightpearl.
Retail Shop has developed from the enormous success of the E-commerce Seminar Theatres and technology zones which made their debut at this year’s Spring and Autumn Fairs, also complementing the e-exporter programme launched by UK Trade & Investment at Autumn Fair*.
Minister of State for Trade & Investment, Lord Livingston, spoke at Autumn Fair about “Accelerating UK retailer’s online presence to compete globally”. During his presentation to a packed audience at the E-commerce Seminar Theatre, Lord Livingston drew attention to the UK’s global position as the number one country for e-commerce and emphasised the “enormous opportunities” now open to UK companies in this multi-billion pound trading market.
The UK’s ‘armchair economy’ is home to Europe’s largest e-commerce market according to IWOCA, a financier for traders on eBay and Amazon Marketplace which has been doubling the number of business loans it approves every quarter since March 2012. Retailers across the board – from the smallest independents to the biggest stores in the world – can clearly see the need to have an online presence if they are to optimize their opportunities for growth in the years ahead.
The IMRG Capgemini etail sales monitor** has reported that UK online sales reached £91 bn by the end of 2013 and accounted for a fifth of all retail sales across the country, consistently outperforming expectations.
The impressive growth was driven by consumers’ increasing reliance on smartphones and tablets, with mobile shopping rising by a whopping 138 percent compared with 2012. 82 per cent of mobile transactions were made on tablets and online Christmas shopping in December 2013 produced a bumper receipt for £11bn, up from £9bn on the year before.
The Director of i2i Events Group Retail Portfolio, Louise Young, commented: “The dramatic evolution of consumer spending patterns and shopping behaviour has created a truly multi-channel retail environment. The launch of Retail Shop at Spring Fair International 2015 will be an essential resource for our customers on both the supply and retail sides who are seeking to stay abreast of evolving technology and consumer behaviour, enabling them capitalise on the e-commerce market and huge growth in mobile shopping.”
For more information visit the website: http://www.springfair.com
*UKTI’s activities at Autumn Fair are part of a wider collaboration with i2i Events Group that involves a significant presence at and participation in all shows within the Group’s Retail portfolio.
** IMRG Capgemini’s quarterly benchmarking report found that visits to retail websites via mobile devices has overtaken desktop internet traffic for the first time, with over a third of UK online sales now completed on a smartphone or tablet. This represents a seismic shift in consumer spending.
