Canadian Retailer - Summer 2013 - 34

ONLINE RETAIL

tailers haven’t had to worry too much because no one was capturing their market share,” says Suthanie Poologasingham, director of U.S. research and marketing with Forrester. “Now they
have to play catch up. It’s not just about putting up a website
with products on it. It’s about managing costs, inventory, shipping, pricing, payment systems, returns and integrating everything with other channels. The costs can go up into the millions,
which is really tough for smaller retailers but that’s where the
opportunities are for the future. It’s a bit of a Catch 22.”
Matching customer preferences

Montreal-based retailer Groupe Dynamite has its Garage line
of women’s clothing online and is leveraging its success there
to get its second Dynamite line on its site shortly. “The expectation of customers today is to have an omnichannel shopping experience which includes the entire ordering, purchasing and delivery process in the e-commerce, bricks and mortar and mobile
channels,” says Michel Joncas, vice president of information
technology for Groupe Dynamite. “It’s not good enough just to
have an e-commerce presence; it’s got to be fully functional and
fully integrated among all channels and devices.” This is particularly important for Canadian retailers because Canadians
are among the world’s fastest adopters of smartphones, and by
2014 commerce on mobile devices is expected to equal that of
e-commerce.
The cost for retailers to build their own e-commerce platforms
is high and can reach into the millions of dollars. “The real challenge for retailers is to find the right products, the right breadth
of selection and the right level of investment for their market,”
says e-commerce consultant and former president of The Shopping Channel, Ted Starkman. “Although Canadian retailers are
playing catch up, this is an exciting time in the industry with
great opportunity.”

Integrated strategies

Many retailers have websites where consumers can visit and research and get information about them, but the real key to success
in e-commerce is to become transactional
where consumers can actually buy, receive
and return goods on all devices. “It’s a big
leap to become transactional, but those who
have made the leap have enjoyed great success” says Wendy Evans, owner of Evans and
Company. “If you are transactional and selling and then open a bricks and mortar store, it
adds to online sales because it gives consumers greater confidence that they can return or
pick up items. This is becoming an integrated
strategy for many retailers.”
The way Canadian retailers will benefit and
enjoy success with their e-commerce platforms
is nicely summed up in the conclusion of the
Canada Post/J.C. Williams Group white paper:
“The challenge for Canadian retailers centres
on providing the best customer experience and
ensuring it melds seamlessly with an overall
omnichannel strategy. Canadians want to easily research and compare products, engage in
discussion where required and have complete
clarity when it comes to the total purchase cost
as well as delivery and return policies. Retailers must adapt to all types of browsers and
devices as Canadians use all of them to make
online purchases. Savvy retailers will embrace
the challenges and constantly improve the online shopping experience.”

who are Canada's e-commerce leaders?
Canadian Retailer magazine wants to hear from readers to find out
what you think of the current state of canadian e-commerce:
•	How	do	you	rate	the	overall	performance	of	Canadian	companies	
with respect to e-commerce?
•	What	do	retailers	operating	within	the	industry	need	to	do	to	
improved their overall performance online?
•	What	are	some	of	the	challenges	to	increased	e-commerce	
performance in the country?
•	Who	are	the	e-commerce	leaders	in	the	Canadian	retail	industry?
visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/canecomm to share your thoughts.
We want your perspective. Your responses and insights will help us
build the second piece of this special two-part e-commerce series,
Canadian e-commerce: The Way Forward, and will provide our
readers with an invaluable inside look at what's really happening
inside canadian e-commerce.

34 |

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Canadian Retailer - Summer 2013

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