Two thirds of retail chains already sell through the e-shop. They offer better and better services to customers

Prague, February 2, 2016 – More than two thirds of the largest retail chains in the Czech Republic already offer their customers the option to shop online. At the same time, fashion retailers opened the most e-shops last year, while food retailers or drugstores, on the other hand, still do not offer their goods online. The range of services is also improving. This follows from the research of the consulting company ACOMWARE.

Research on a sample of 126 of the largest retail chains, prepared by ACOMWARE in cooperation with the Department of Marketing of the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Economics in Prague, shows that the approach of sellers to the e-commerce market has improved dramatically over the past 2 years. According to the latest figures, 67 % large chains already operate their own e-shop. "Not only the total number of traders who have started operating an e-shop is increasing, but also the segments in which all the biggest brands on the Czech market already operate an e-shop. This applies, for example, to toys, books, but now also carpets and bathroom equipment," explains Jan Penkala, CEO of the consulting company ACOMWARE.

The segments in which the number of new e-shops increased the most in 2015 also include pharmacies or building materials. On the other side, food and drugstores are still crouching. At the same time, the number of new online stores will also increase in the coming years. "We expect up to 25 more e-shops to be added within three years. Only a fraction of the chains, roughly one in ten, will no longer sell on the Internet at that time,” thinks Penkala.

Almost all retail chains currently use the Internet at least for the basic presentation of their brand and goods. Those stores that do not have an e-shop usually publish a product catalog or promotional leaflets on their website. "Printed leaflets and catalogs usually make up a significant part of the advertising costs of business firms. The online presentation is thus a naturally attractive alternative, although it will not fully replace the printed form in the foreseeable future. In this way, the company undoubtedly increases the traceability of its product range or promotional offers," explains Václav Stříteský from the University of Economics. Merchants also responded to the trend of mobile shopping last year more than in the previous year. E-shops or websites optimized for mobile devices increased by 76 % year-on-year and there are a total of 79 out of 126 monitored.

For end customers, the ever-increasing possibility to pick up or claim goods in brick-and-mortar branches is also positive. "In-store collection is already offered by almost three-quarters of all retailers and almost all e-shops that launched in 2015. This shows that retailers realize that customers want the same service no matter where they shop " explains Penkala. In 2015, the number of e-shops that offer the possibility of complaints or returning goods in stores grew even more significantly. Year-on-year, they are 52 % more. However, it is still true that only about every second seller offers this service.

Main conclusions of the retail study:

1. A total of 67 % largest retail chains already sell their goods in their own e-shop - a total of 84 companies, compared to 71 last year.
2. The largest number of new e-shops was added among sellers of fashion and building materials. Pharmacies have also improved. The smallest number of e-shops is still among food retailers and drugstores.
3. In a number of segments, it is already the case that all the largest chains are online – this is the case for sellers of toys, books, carpets, bathrooms and pet stores.
4. There have also been fewer companies that not only don't own an e-shop, but also don't use their websites to issue promotional flyers or present product catalogs. Currently there are only 4, a year ago there were 13.
5. E-shops and websites of retail chains are much better optimized for mobile devices - 80 of these websites are optimized, which is 76 % more year-on-year.
6. The option to pick up goods at the store is offered by 74 % chains operating an e-shop and almost all those who launched an e-shop in the last 12 months.
7. The number of e-shops that offer the possibility of complaints or returns in brick-and-mortar stores increased by half. Yet it offers this service for only a little more than every other retailer.
8. Over 80 % sellers offer free shipping in e-shops: 3 companies even regardless of the type of goods purchased. The remaining 65 sellers condition free shipping on a certain minimum purchase value.
9. Customer satisfaction with e-shops has increased year-on-year: only 1 seller has a rating of less than 90 % within the Heureka.cz shopping guide. A year ago there were 6.
10. Lidl remains the most searched brand on the Internet. Adidas dropped out of the top ten and was replaced by Datart.

About ACOMWARE s.r.o

ACOMWARE is a specialized consulting company for e-commerce. We focus primarily on e-commerce consulting, export strategies, multi-channel marketing and assistance in entering online markets, performance marketing, digital media and intelligent e-mail communication with customers. In 13 years of operation, we have served over 3,000 internet projects.

The team consists of more than 55 experienced specialists. As part of e-commerce development, we publish a number of case studies or analyses, and we also organize trainings and workshops. For all e-commerce fans, we also bring a cycle of discussions with successful Internet entrepreneurs Eshopista.

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