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Jason Ford
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Multichannel Strategies Improves Sainsbury’s Growth
The online and multichannel strategy of supermarket giant Sainsbury’s, has been highlighted as the one of the main reasons it was able to improve its market share and sales last year.
Sainsbury’s full year sales rose by 6.8% to £24.5 billion in 2011. The company outperformed the market, increasing market share to 16.6%, the highest for nearly a decade. eCommerce sales experienced a 20% increase, making it the fastest growing online grocery retailers in the UK.
Its phenomenal success has been attributed in part to its multichannel strategies, where by customers can select the products they want online and then collect them for their nearest store. A recent study from Postcode Anywhere found that more than half of online shoppers want to see options to collect in-store. Sainsbury’s offers this service in over 900 stores and states that around 50% of general merchandise orders are now processed through this channel.
In a recent statement, Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King says his supermarket is outperforming competitors because it appreciates the needs of its customers, allowing to save money and enjoy a positive shopping experience.
King said: “We are succeeding by understanding what our customers want, supporting and inspiring them to live well for less. Delivering quality and value is a compelling offer, in tune with what today’s savvy shoppers want.”
Sainsbury’s could face stiff competition in recent weeks as Morrison’s plans to launch its own eCommerce strategy.
TweetNHS to Overhaul Data Strategy
The NHS is expected to make significant changes over the next few weeks, to the way their data is handled.
Speaking at the HC2012 conference in London, Chief Executive of the NHS Information Centre Tim Straughan explained how important capturing accurate data is to the NHS for both patients and users.
“People don’t just want to see raw datasets, they don’t just want to see raw information, they want to see information and data that’s linked together across a number of care settings that starts to link input data with output data.”
Providing more linked data would allow the health service to demonstrate good practice, as well as helping to transform health and social care, he told delegates.
“Open data will be a big driver behind the strategy, he added.
The news comes ahead of the Department for Health’s delayed Informatics Strategy, expected to be published later this month, which is expected to include even more changes to the way data is captured and used by the medical professionals.
The NHS’s data quality strategy has been firmly in the limelight over the last few weeks, as reports of data breaches surfaced.
TweetUK Shoppers Spend a Quarter of Income Online
UK consumers spend 25% of their disposable income online, compared to a global average of 22%, according to a new report.
According to the Global Online Shopper Report commissioned by WorldPay, this is the highest percentage among European nations.
WorldPay surveyed 19,000 global consumers and 153 senior decision makers from global retail merchants to identify the online shopping habits of consumers. The report suggests the easy availability of the internet on mobile devices has led to a boom in spending online.
The report found internet shoppers are increasingly varying the devices they use to shop online. 55% use a laptop, 19% use a smartphone and 11% use a tablet.
Philip McGriskin, chief product officer, WorldPay, said: “Online shoppers are becoming increasingly mobile, no longer chained to their PC to buy goods and services. The way shoppers engage with mobile devices is evolving and driving the future of e-commerce as consumers look to purchase through apps, mobile websites and using their device on the move.
“This increased mobility is expanding the audience of potential consumers for merchants to target but, in tandem, presents challenges in offering the best experience for these consumers whenever and wherever they demand it. As technologies develop merchants will need to be ahead of the game to understand and offer consumers the services they demand.”
According to the report, UK consumers are more likely to abandon a purchase if presented with hidden charges at the checkout (61%) compared to the global average (56%).
TweetTesco to Spend £150m on its Online Business
Tesco has announced it will invest £150 million in its dotcom business, as it attempts to revive its flagging UK sales.
Tesco’s full-year results, released yesterday, displayed a 0.9% fall in like-for-like UK sales. The supermarket now plans to make “significant improvements” to their website as part of a £1billion project to “raise the game” in the UK.
Philip Clark, Tesco’s chief executive, said: “Whilst our international business is delivering excellent growth, contributing £1.1 billion of profit to the group, we fully recognise that we need to raise our game in the UK.
“As a result, we are committing over £1 billion to make the UK shopping trip better for customers.”
The company have announced they will be increasing investment in their online business to around £150 million in the next two years.
“We have already made a strong start with our new web platform for Tesco Direct launched a few weeks ago,” it said.
“The new website, which has been well received by customers, will soon house almost all of our UK online businesses.”
According to Tesco the new website has a much great functionality and will be easier for customers to use. Click here for a review of Tesco’s website.
Multichannel services such as Click & Collect are also being expanded, with the addition of 700 new collection points, adding to the 770 points now on offer. This follows from a recent report that found that more than half of online shoppers want to see options to collect in-store.
TweetNHS Data Quality Blunder Reveals 20,000 Pregnant Men
A study of hospital statistics by Imperial College London NHS Healthcare Trust shows some surprising uses of services by NHS patients.
According to the national statistics, 3,000 children and teenagers had supposedly accessed geriatric services between 2009 and 2010, while 1,600 adults over 30 had seen a child psychiatrist. Even more striking, the authors revealed how nearly 20,000 male patients in England required midwifery services and almost 10,000 men were supposedly admitted to gynaecology wards. The study highlights the importance of capturing accurate data.
Lauren Brennan, specialty doctor and honorary clinical research fellow at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust explained how accurately capturing and coding patient episodes is crucial because the data informs the decision making on how NHS services are commissioned.
Brennan said: “There are a number of areas where data errors can occur, including at the point of manual data entry. Robust computerised systems with embedded fail-safes can help us avoid some mistakes.
Speaking to the British Journal of Healthcare Computing, Brennan suggests that healthcare orgnisations need to ensure all members of staff are working together in order to enhance the quality of the data.
“From our own experience we′ve found the key to improving data quality is to engage and actively involve all areas, including front line staff (clerical, nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals), administrative and managerial staff, IT departments and finance teams. Improving data quality requires a multi-professional approach.”
TweetArmy Cuts Costs with Cloud Computing
In a move to modernise its infrastructure and reduce costs, the US Army is deploying private cloud computing services and modular data centres.
Cloud computing will allow workers to fetch computer programs and key documents stored remotely on any device with an Internet connection.
General Dynamics, HP and Northrop Grumman are among the service providers selected for the Army Private Cloud contract (APC2).
“A highly flexible and innovative contract, along with reliability and scalability for long-term needs, is important for the Army and our federal clients,” said Marilyn Crouther, senior vice president and general manager, US Public Sector, HP Enterprise Services.
The new contract aims to help the Army utilise industry capabilities via cloud applications and acquire specific cloud computing services to consolidate data centres by establishing a secure, cost-effective private cloud.
This follows from a recent study that found cost savings were not the overriding driver of cloud computing adoption. According to the findings, while saving money is a commonly cited reason for adopting the technology, the needs to streamline and speed up business processes were much greater.
The services will be availed for both fixed and deployed locations which include network connectivity, information assurance, certification and accreditation support, application migration, private cloud operations and maintenance, among others.
TweetImprovements to Website Boost Thomas Cook’s Bookings
Improvements to travel agent Thomas Cook’s website have helped boost bookings by 19% in recent weeks, the company has reported.
The travel company, which secured a £200 million rescue package from lenders last November, stated that online bookings in the UK for its mainstream holidays were up 19% year-on-year for the last four weeks after improvements were made to the website.
Last year Thomas Cook announced they wanted to raise the proportion of its bookings made over the internet to 40% or 50% from levels of around 25%, and also announced it was to close around 200 shops to rebalance its business in the light of growing internet sales.
Sam Weihagen, acting chief executive, said: “Trading across the group has been stable since we last reported and in line with expectations.
“In the last few weeks we have seen an improvement in UK booking trends, helped by our recently launched advertising campaign and upgrades to our thomascook.com website.”
Thomas Cook shares, which have lost over 90% of their value in the past two years, were up 3.2% to 24% on Wednesday, as the upturn in trading provided evidence consumer confidence in the brand was being revived.
As Thomas Cook has discovered, a website can provide customers with a lasting impression of your company, and make significant improvements to your bottom line. Click here for top tips on how to make improvements to your website.
TweetCloud Computing – Get on with it!
Companies must learn to “get over it and get on with it” as cloud computing is here to stay, industry experts have claimed.
Chris Morris, IDC’s head of cloud computing analysis, said some companies are still reluctant to engage with cloud computing however, it is only a matter of time before they will need to adopt the technology in some form.
“Most organisations are still at the toe-in-the-water stage,” Mr Morris said, adding that companies of different sizes will deal with the cloud in varying ways.
Large companies are likely to establish “private clouds” to cater for all in-house computing needs while small to medium-sized organisations are using the internet to connect to service providers’ clouds. As they do so, IDC is seeing a shift in IT budgets, as customers take advantage of cloud services’ typically monthly payment schemes.
As the clouds continue to roll in, IDC estimates the new service delivery model is accounting for about 10% of IT spending.
A recent study from IBM indicates that the number of enterprises using cloud computing will double in the next three years.
TweetNot Enough Cloud Computing Skills to Meet Job Demand
Demand for IT professionals with cloud computing skills and experience is surging, with not enough qualified workers to meet the demand, according to an analysis of hiring trends by Wanted Analytics.
There were over 5,000 jobs posted online related to cloud technology, a 92% increase from the same month last year, and a more than four times increase compared to 2010.
According to the firm, the number of job postings in the cloud industry is growing so quickly there aren’t enough qualified workers available to fill the positions.
“With the demand for cloud skills growing so quickly, the gap between hiring demand and talent supply across the United States is getting larger and causing more difficulties in sourcing candidates,” the report said.
Cloud computing jobs in the highest demand are technical skills, such as software engineers, systems engineers and network administrators. However according to Carolyn Menz of Wanted Analytics, the surge in job postings wasn’t entirely focused on IT careers, with demand for cloud skills expanding into marketing, sales, and financial sectors at much greater rates than previous years.
TweetClassrooms in the Cloud
A new cloud computing deal aimed at providing schools in Northern Ireland with secure access to educational resources has been announced by Classroom 2000, Northern Ireland’s procurement body for education.
Classroom 2000 will use a private cloud from Northgate, enabling teachers and students to access resources securely through mobile devices. Data previously stored on local servers such as school finance and pupil’s email accounts will also be transferred to the cloud system.
Jimmy Stewart, director of Classroom 2000 told Guardian Government Computing that one of the benefits of the system was its “flexibility”.
“One of the main benefits of this service is its flexibility, it gives us truly anytime anywhere access and from any browser,” Stewart said.
The contract will provide 24/7 access to curricular content for all pupils, teachers and parents across the province.
Stewart added that, “The new ICT service has been designed to recognise the educational requirements of schools, deliver technology-driven learning environments and incorporate the latest innovations in technology.”
The five-year deal, which begins on 1 April, will see the services delivered to 1,200 schools across the country.
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