Online Stores are in danger

The online retailers can keep on the market, it is necessary to have always something new. This came at the 11th Congress trade out online.

The e-commerce market is expected to achieve double-digit growth. However, continue to dominate US corporations the market. More than 70 percent of the e-commerce company could disappear from the market again soon - if they reinvent not repeatedly. This was tenor at the 11th Congress Online trade on 21 and 22 January in Bonn.

Particularly at risk saw some participants the pure online stores without any physical presence or showroom. Here even up to 90 percent are threatened.

"It is a consolidation expected in only the best survive in its segment," says Alexander Graf. He is the editor, an information platform for the e-commerce. Apple, for example, do it before to innovate constantly. "Or Amazon; since there are not only great technology developments, but constantly, seemingly small changes, for example in the delivery services, "said Graf.

To reinvent itself, it would not always be disruptive innovations, says Hartmut Deiwick, commercial director of online pharmacy APONEO. But "even for small changes it needs capital, ideas and courage." At all three levels there are in Germany a need for improvement. Many ideas were from the outset under the internal structures of the company.


But there are also positive examples, especially in the field of customer contact and customer care. Some companies respond to customer inquiries with video messages, other build their own call center with experts to outsource to third parties anonymous place such services. "The individualization in dealing with the customer is a differentiating factor that is becoming increasingly important," said Deiwick.

The conference has also shown that the offers and their presentation can be more individualized in the web shop. "It has long been a data war broken out," says Aline Eckstein, Senior Strategy Consultant of BlueTrade GmbH - a consulting company in the e-commerce. "Everyone gathers data and analyzes customer behavior to work more accurately can. But it must not be forgotten that in addition to quantitative analysis and qualitative aspects are important, "For example, is not only the question important when an online customer cancels a purchase process. The let rise slightly - but also why. Instead of "big data" you need "Smart Data" to better understand the customer.

One conclusion of the event: The customer is always standing in the traditional trade in focus. This is no different in online trading.

If the customer is the focus, would traders, but also the purchasing process to think through and to focus more on the delivery. "In Asia, some suppliers jog the last few yards to the customer. This shows passion, "said Deiwick. Quite so far one must not go in this country: "It is enough if the online trading utilizes the existing services of its logistics service better." This is where innovations such as the delivery of the goods on the desired date are still on the day the order available. The merchants accept such offers its logistics service, but still too rare, and these options do not appear in the online store. "