High street retailer Next has reported that a fall in sales over the festive period has resulted in a significant reduction to projected annual profits.

Other national retailers including M&S and Primark have also reported falls in sales and shares.

The data reflects a growing trend amongst the British public for online shopping which has seen a significant rise in 2016 and is expected to continue into 2017 and beyond.

The latest reports from British high-street retailers highlight the vulnerability of bricks and mortar stores to fluctuations in footfall.

The number of customers visiting stores can be significantly impacted by changes as simple as a change in the weather or a build up of traffic.

Online retailers can minimise these fluctuations by offering products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - regardless of outside influence.

The convenience of online sales is proving irresistible to the British public.

By ordering at any time of the day (and from almost any location using mobile sales) to have the items arrive to your door is clearly of benefit to customers, but the benefits are becoming ever clearer to retailers.

The automation of sales through effective ecommerce offers a number of key benefits to retailers over traditional high-street sales.

We spoke to David Herington of Etail Systems about their experiences of the growing trend for ecommerce sales:

“We are seeing our retail ecommerce sites growing consistently at 20 to 30% a year, and some are doing even better.

Online is still competitive though, and the key drivers are getting your product offering and pricing right.

Then market your products omni-channel including website, Amazon, eBay, affiliate schemes and click & collect from your shop or business.

Finally, to be profitable you must be able to fulfill orders efficiently, so you must have effective systems to process, pick, pack and despatch orders fast and without error. Online customers have a huge choice so to keep them your customer service must be legendary.

For 2017 we predict service will be key with many more businesses moving to same day delivery, click & collect, free standard delivery and locker delivery."

For more information on ecommerce software for your business, contact Etail Systems on 0844 482 0908, email info@etailsystems.com or visit them online: https://www.etailsystems.com