The Top500’s channels of communication to the customer, their engagement and interaction, and their similarities and differences to their peers in Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia

1. 2018
1
INTERNET RETAILING TOP500:
A PERFORMANCE INDEX ranking
the largest 500 retailers in the UK
according to their performance in six
‘dimensions’ of retailcraft
TODAY’S PRESENTATION:
The Top500’s channels of communication to the
customer, their engagement and interaction, and
their similarities and differences to their peers in
Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia
Reaching demanding consumers with a retail proposition

2. 2018
2
RetailX
R e s e a r c h , a n a l y s i s a n d i n s i g h t i n t o t h e p e r f o r m a n c e o f t h e
w o r l d ’s b e s t e c o m m e r c e a n d m u l t i c h a n n e l r e t a i l e r s . P u b l i s h e d
b y I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g , R e t a i l X a l s o h o s t s s m a l l s c a l e e v e n t s f o r
r e t a i l l e a d e r s t o m e e t a n d d i s c u s s t h e r e s e a r c h .
r e t a i l x . n e t
InternetRetailing
M e d i a a n d p u b l i s h i n g c o m p a n y a n d t h e e x c l u s i v e p u b l i s h i n g
p a r t n e r o f R e t a i l X . I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g M a g a z i n e , To p 5 0 0
r e p o r t s a n d d a i l y a n a l y s i s a n d i n s i g h t .
i n t e r n e t r e t a i l i n g . n e t / s u b s c r i b e
M a r t i n S h a w
Head of Research, RetailX & InternetRetailing
@etail
@etail_martin
@RetailX

3. 2018
3
THE QUESTION
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
•To p 5 0 0 o v e r v i e w
•T h e “ F o o t p r i n t ”
•P e r f o r m a n c e A s s e s s m e n t
•To p 5 0
•A M a r k e t o f G i a n t s
•F a c e b o o k s t u d y
•E m a i l s t u d y
•C o n t i n u i n g r e s e a r c h
How do the Top500
reach demanding
consumers with a
retail proposition?

4. 2018
4
INTERNET RETAILING TOP500
A B O U T T H E
L A R G E S T 5 0 0
T h e b i g g e s t r e t a i l e r s
i n t h e U K
P E R F O R M A N C E
I d e n t i f y i n g b e s t p r a c t i c e ,
w h i c h c o m p a n i e s d o i t , a n d
h o w t o e m u l a t e t h e m
D I M E N S I O N S
S t r a t e g y & I n n o v a t i o n ,
C u s t o m e r E x p e r i e n c e ,
O p e r a t i o n s & L o g i s t i c s ,
M e r c h a n d i s i n g ,
B r a n d E n g a g e m e n t , a n d
M o b i l e & C r o s s - c h a n n e l
C O M PA R I S O N
T h e m e t r i c s a r e s h a r e d w i t h
t h e E u r o p e To p 5 0 0 , A u s t r a l i a
To p 2 5 0 a n d A S E A N To p 5 0 0
Photo by Bernard Spragg/Flickr

5. 2018
5
‘FOOTPRINT’
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
T h e s t a r t i n g p o i n t , b l e n d i n g s e v e r a l m e t r i c s i n t h e f o l l o w i n g a r e a s t o i d e n t i f y t h e
l a r g e s t r e t a i l e r s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U K
Ranging from:
4m to 40 billion pounds of annual
retail sales; 2m to seven billion online
R E V E N U E
Ranging from:
150,000 to >100m unique visits, and
365,000 to 2.5 billion page views per annum
W E B T R A F F I C
Ranging from:
0 to 11,500
P H Y S I C A L S T O R E S

6. 2018
6
PERFORMANCE
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
1. Strategy & Innovation
1. Strategic practice, including an expert-designated selection of metrics that catalogue a retailer’s embrace of technological or
organisational best practice
2. Innovative practice, including a selection of metrics from other dimensions that set the leaders apart from the rest
2. The Customer
1. Customer service response time and helpfulness – Facebook and email [UK]
2. Desktop and mobile homepage performance, including engineering, responsiveness, and speed
3. Mobile and desktop website navigation – the ease of finding a desired product, including tabs, icons, search and filtering
4. Customer feedback – incorporation of customer reviews and ratings on the product display page and the number of channels by
which consumers can submit feedback
5. Mobile app – the incorporation of customer reviews and product ratings in product display pages and the personalisation,
performance and user experience of apps [retailers with a mobile app]
3. Operations & Logistics
1. Delivery capability including 10 metrics covering the range of options, and competitiveness of timeframes and pricing
2. Returns capability including 10 metrics covering the ease of the returns and refund process to the customer, and the range of
options
3. Collection capability including nine metrics covering the number, type, and convenience of collection locations and the costs and
timeframes of the services
4. An assessment of the mobile website’s usefulness for customers who want to see the availability of stock, both for ecommerce
orders and for purchase in stores
5. Mobile app – visibility of stock availability, both for ecommerce orders and for purchase in stores [retailers with mobile apps]

7. 2018
7
PERFORMANCE
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
4. Merchandising
1. Customer-perspective review, including 23 metrics covering design, navigation, the relevance of search results, product information, and
visual appeal
2. Mobile app assessment, including nine metrics covering use of notifications, product display and personalisation [retailers with mobile apps]
3. Merchandising and product review, including number and depth of promotions, the fraction of a retailer’s range with reviews and
descriptions, the number of images per product, and the fraction of range that is out of stock [largest retailers]
4. Assessment of apparel retailers including level of discounting, days to sell out of the average product, and the fraction of the range that is
new stock [largest apparel retailers]
5. Brand Engagement
1. Search assessment including total applicable keywords, total reach, share of search compared to other retailers and relative visibility in
search results
2. Social media presence and availability, including 22 metrics, taking into account size of audience on Twitter, its growth and interaction, and
the use of 10 social networks, email, and blog
3. Mobile and desktop website review – assessing the integration of social media, sharing and social validation
4. An assessment of mobile apps’ incorporation of social media, sharing, and social validation [retailers with mobile apps]
5. Email assessment, tracking hundreds of thousand of emails to panellists, assessing content, volume, and interaction such as open rate and
delete rate [largest retailers]
6. Mobile and Cross-channel
1. Mobile home page performance, including engineering and responsiveness
2. Mobile website assessment, including use of screen real estate, the ease of navigation, and the visibility of stock at physical stores
3. Multichannel features taking into account use of physical store estate for order fulfilment and return, store information on the website, in-
store functions of apps and cross-channel loyalty accounts [retailers with stores]
4. Mobile app, including 24 metrics, measuring the usability and functionality of apps and weighting features according to their impact on
average order value (AOV), time spent on app, and conversion rate [retailers with mobile apps]

8. 2018
8
THE TOP50
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
Amazon Boots Screwfix
Argos Marks & Spencer Tesco
Elite
Leading Asda Dunelm John Lewis Oasis Toys R Us
B&Q Halfords Morrisons Sainsbury's Waterstones
Currys PC World Holland & Barrett New Look Schuh Wickes
Debenhams House of Fraser Next Superdrug
Top50 Ao.com Dorothy Perkins H&M Maplin Electronics Smyths
Apple Dune London Homebase Mothercare Superdry
Asos Evans Cycles Hotel Chocolat Ocado Topshop
Carphone Warehouse Game JD Sports The Perfume Shop Waitrose
Clarks Go Outdoors Littlewoods Simply Be Wilko

9. 2018
9
Other
43%
John Lewis
2%
Tesco
2%
Argos
3%
eBay
23%
Amazon
28%
Share of unique website visits
Amazon 28%
eBay 23%
Argos 2%
Tesco 2%
John Lewis 2%
Source: Hitwise and SimilarWeb
UK ECOMMERCE
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
O n l i n e m a r k e t s h a r e , m e a s u r i n g v i s i t s a n d a n d p a g e v i e w s t o
To p 5 0 0 w e b s i t e s b y U K - b a s e d c o n s u m e r s
See internetretailing.net/iruk for more
analysis on this region’s ecommerce
and multichannel retailers

10. 2018
10
Other
47%
Bild Shop
2%
AliExpress
4%
Allegro
4%
eBay
18%
Amazon
25%
Share of unique website visits
Amazon 25%
eBay 18%
Allegro 4%
AliExpress 4%
Bild Shop 2%
Source: Hitwise and SimilarWeb
EUROPEAN ECOMMERCE
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
O n l i n e m a r k e t s h a r e , m e a s u r i n g v i s i t s a n d a n d p a g e v i e w s t o
To p 5 0 0 w e b s i t e s b y E E A - b a s e d c o n s u m e r s
See internetretailing.net/ireu for more
analysis on this region’s ecommerce
and multichannel retailers

11. 2018
11
ASEAN ECOMMERCE
R e t a i l X T o p 5 0 0
O n l i n e m a r k e t s h a r e , m e a s u r i n g v i s i t s a n d a n d p a g e v i e w s t o
To p 5 0 0 w e b s i t e s b y A S E A N - b a s e d c o n s u m e r s
Other
40%
Taobao
2%
Elevenia
2%
AliExpress
3%
Blibli
3%
eBay
3%
Bukalapak
3%
Shopee
5%
Tokopedia
6%
Amazon
6%
Lazada
27%
Share of unique website visits
Lazada 27%
Amazon 6%
Tokopedia 6%
Shopee 5%
Bukalapak 3%
eBay 3%
Blibli 3%
AliExpress 3%
Elevenia 2%
Taobao 2%
Source: SimilarWeb

12. 2018
12
Other
63%
Kogan.com
3%
JB Hi-Fi
3%
Amazon
7%
eBay
24%
Share of unique website visits
eBay 24%
Amazon 7%
JB Hi-Fi 3%
Kogan.com 3%
Source: Hitwise and SimilarWeb
AUSTRALIAN ECOMMERCE
R e t a i l X T o p 2 5 0
O n l i n e m a r k e t s h a r e , m e a s u r i n g v i s i t s a n d a n d p a g e v i e w s t o
To p 2 5 0 w e b s i t e s b y A u s t r a l i a - b a s e d c o n s u m e r s
See internetretailing.net/rxau for more
analysis on this region’s ecommerce
and multichannel retailers

13. 2018
13
BACK TO THE QUESTION
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
How do the Top500
reach demanding
consumers with a
retail proposition?

14. 2018
14
TOP50: FACEBOOK STUDY
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
C o m p l e t e d i n F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 8 , m e a s u r i n g U K - f a c i n g F a c e b o o k
h o m e p a g e s o f t h e B r a n d E n g a g e m e n t To p 5 0

15. 2018
15
H e r m a n M e l v i l l e
TOP50: FACEBOOK STUDY
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
A l l B r a n d E n g a g e m e n t To p 5 0 r e t a i l e r s o p e r a t e a F a c e b o o k p a g e a n d m o s t h a v e
a v a r i e t y o f c o n t e n t t y p e s . T h e f i g u r e s b e l o w s h o w w h a t a c o n s u m e r w o u l d s e e
o n t h e a v e r a g e To p 5 0 r e t a i l e r ’s F a c e b o o k f e e d

16. 2018
16
EMAIL STUDY
I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g T o p 5 0 0
• Email is the primary communication
channel retailers have with consumers
• Mostly on mobile devices
• Segmentation and personalisation

17. 2018
17
-2.8%
29.9%
3.7%
-9.3%
2.8%
-5.6%
-11.2%
-33.9%
2.2%
-17.2%
5.6%
1.7%
2.8% 1.7%
11.3%
-2.3%
6.1%
-4.2%
5.2%
-7.5%
-9.4%
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Email Open Rates: Day of the Week Sent
(difference from the average)
Germany France United Kingdom
T h i s s t u d y w a s c o m p l e t e d i n 2 0 1 6 a n d w i l l b e
r e p e a t e d i n 2 0 1 8 i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h R e t u r n P a t h

18. 2018
18
-1.9%
4.7%
-3.7%
13.1%14.4%
-1.7%
0.6%
-10.0%
1.9%
10.8%
-5.6% -6.1%
Pre-dawn (00:00-06:00) Morning (06:00-12:00) Afternoon (12:00-18:00) Night (18:00-24:00)
Email Open Rates: Time of the Day Sent
(difference from the average)
Germany France United Kingdom
T h i s s t u d y w a s c o m p l e t e d i n 2 0 1 6 a n d w i l l b e
r e p e a t e d i n 2 0 1 8 i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h R e t u r n P a t h

19. 2018
19
-6.5%
3.9%
5.6%
0.0%
2.8%
0.0%0.9%
-8.3% -7.5%
Germany France United Kingdom
Email Open Rates: Use of Capitalisation
(difference from the average)
Low Medium High
T h i s s t u d y w a s c o m p l e t e d i n 2 0 1 6 a n d w i l l b e
r e p e a t e d i n 2 0 1 8 i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h R e t u r n P a t h

20. 2018
20
4.5% 5.0%
10.3%
6.5%
-3.3%
-6.1%
-9.3% -8.9%
-26.8%
Germany France United Kingdom
Email Open Rates: Length of Subject Line
(difference from the average)
Short Medium Long
T h i s s t u d y w a s c o m p l e t e d i n 2 0 1 6 a n d w i l l b e
r e p e a t e d i n 2 0 1 8 i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h R e t u r n P a t h

21. 2018
21
0.0% 0.0%
0.5%
-5.6%
0.0%
-3.3%
-6.0%
-4.0%
-2.0%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
Germany France United Kingdom
Email Open Rates: Using a Question
(difference from the average)
No question Question
T h i s s t u d y w a s c o m p l e t e d i n 2 0 1 6 a n d w i l l b e
r e p e a t e d i n 2 0 1 8 i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h R e t u r n P a t h

22. 2018
22
-0.9%
-5.6%
1.4%
3.7%
3.3%
-4.7%
-6.0%
-4.0%
-2.0%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
Germany France United Kingdom
Email Open Rates: Using an Exclamation
(difference from the average)
No exclamation Exclamation
T h i s s t u d y w a s c o m p l e t e d i n 2 0 1 6 a n d w i l l b e
r e p e a t e d i n 2 0 1 8 i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h R e t u r n P a t h

23. 2018
23I n t e r n e t R e t a i l i n g & R e t a i l X
CONTINUING RESEARCH
•Europe Top500 Customer report - April
•Europe Top500 Merchandising report - April
•Europe Top500 Strategy and Innovation report - May
•ASEAN Top500 Footprint report - May
•UK Top500 Mobile and Cross-channel report - May
•Europe Top500 Operations and Logistics report - May
•Australia Top250 report - May
•UK Top500 Merchandising report - July
•Europe Top500 report - July
•Areas of analysis:
•Best practice in different retail sectors
•The implications of technological change
•Case studies on the best retailers
•Promotional activity and linking it to changes in web traffic, social activity
•Future years: year-on-year change and trends

24. 2018
24
INTERNET RETAILING TOP500:
A PERFORMANCE INDEX ranking
the largest 500 retailers in the UK
according to their performance in six
‘dimensions’ of retailcraft
TODAY’S PRESENTATION:
The Top500’s channels of communication to the
customer, their engagement and interaction, and
their similarities and differences to their peers in
Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia
Reaching demanding consumers with a retail proposition