Welcome to a new edition of The Weekly Shop. This week we take a look at how you can reduce online returns, beacon technology in London’s Regent Street, Instagram adverts and how digital has changed the buyers journey.

How fashion ecommerce retailers can reduce online returns

Returns are inevitable when you run an online business, especially in the fashion sector, and finding ways to help your consumers find the right size product can really help to reduce your return rate. Our first article this week looks at fashion etailers who are reducing the amount of returns they receive using various on-site tactics.

12 excellent ways to present ecommerce shipping information

Its been well documented that the number one cause of checkout abandonment is unacceptable delivery costs. Therefore, it’s important to ensure shipping costs and options are made completely transparent as early as possible in the customer journey to prevent delivery surprises and abandoned carts. Our next article presents 12 excellent ways that ecommerce stores are successfully presenting their shipping information.

14 inspiring mobile ecommerce websites

The importance of responsive or adaptive design for any site has long passed the point where the value of it can be argued, especially now Google are ranking mobile friendly sites higher than those that aren’t. If you’re looking for some inspiration for your mobile website, then check out this article from Econsultancy which features examples of ecommerce sites who are providing exceptional mobile experiences.

Regent Street rolls out beacon technology to build shopper profiles

Earlier in the week, The Crown Estate who own London’s Regent Street announced that they were rolling out beacon technology and an app to shoppers. The app provides shoppers with information about new products, upcoming events and exclusive offers and will build a profile for each shopper so the content can be tailored to them. The technology is aimed at improving dwell times on the street, and allow shoppers to further explore what the street has to offer, plan their visits and find new brands.

Instagram announces adverts are coming to the UK

Instagram have announced that it will start running adverts in the feeds of British users later this year following a successful trial in the US. The platform is initially limiting who can advertise within their platform, and has strict rules about the imagery brands can use, including no text, no products and filters to ensure that the adverts feel natural in people’s feeds. Advertisers have already reported success from their US campaigns, with Taco Bell reporting a 45% increase in followers during its month long campaign.

Five new realities of the buyer’s journey

This last article from Econsultancy looks at how the buyers journey has changed and evolved due to transformational nature of the digital world. In order to reach today’s buyer, marketers must understand the new realities of this journey which are outlined in this article and align their digital and content strategies accordingly.

Leapfrogg shortlisted for five Online Retail Awards

Finishing off with a bit of Leapfrogg news – we were delighted to discover this week that we had been shortlisted for five Online Retail Awards including Digital Agency of the Year!

Thanks for reading.