As Technology Advances "Why Not Lick Your Own Face?"
A new start-up in London is encouraging customers to buy chocolate lollipops of their own face!
Competitive Advantage in E-commerce: Amazon's Automated Advantage
It is often claimed that Amazon's main competitive advantage is its ability to exploit the "long-tail" - a product range of many millions of items a physical retailer could never hope to match....
E-Commerce and the new Doorstep Economy
New research from Barclaycard has revealed a new ‘Doorstep Economy’ due to a surge in UK businesses gearing up to meet the increased expectations of consumers for products delivered on-demand.
The Biz Quiz - 2 December 2015
Not long to go before our mega Biz Quiz of the Year (next week).For now, here is the latest Biz Quiz...
Success in E-commerce? The Supply Chain is Critical
This is a terrific article from InternetRetailing packed with useful insights for students needing to understand the importance of suppliers in a successful e-commerce strategy.
Digital Sales Flying for Top Shop and Arcadia
Any students researching the online fashion market for BUSS4 in 2016 are strongly advised to include Arcadia Group alongside the obvious pure-play ASOS. Latest financial results from Arcadia Group...
Are Customers Getting Online Delivery on the Cheap?
The race is on for e-commerce operations to offer customers the quickest, most convenient and cheapest delivery. However, there is increasing evidence that, whilst these delivery choices are great...
Low unemployment is bad news for employers needing seasonal labour
Amazon will employ 100,000 seasonal staff to support the expected peak in demand for e-commerce in the final weeks of the year (up 25% from 2014), so are big retailers really struggling to find...
Seasonal Demand - the Operational & HRM Challenges of E-Commerce
We've just had Black Friday and today is Manic Monday. Both days (along with Singles Day on 11 Nov) are great examples of why B2C e-commerce is highly seasonal and places enormous strains on the...
Is the Biggest Threat to UK Success in E-Commerce a Digital Skills Gap?
A significant and growing skills gap may threaten the UK's ability to exploit the best opportunities in e-commerce.
Amazon Joins the Sharing Economy
Time was when Christmas was delivered by Santa and his hard-working elves, then along came e-commerce and delivery of our pressies was outsourced to the likes of Royal Mail, Yodel and UPS. All hail...
River Island launches Click and (don't) Collect!
River Island is introducing a click & (don't) collect service for customers who select to pick up their orders in store, but then change their mind.
Aldi Plays the Imitation Game
In recent years Aldi has cleverly positioned its product range to match the key elements of higher-priced branded goods. Now it has clearly decided that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Asos sticks by its strategy - even if it means losing older customers
The online fashion retailer, Asos, is a great example of why successful strategy involves clear market positioning.
Rolls Royce CEO admits major strategic issues need fixing
A cumbersome organisational structure is a root cause of the significant strategic problems being faced by Rolls Royce according to its new CEO, Warren East
Amazing Video – Bike Storage in Japan!
As most ‘urban’ cyclists will tell you, one of the most difficult things about cycling in the city is finding somewhere safe to leave your bike.
The turnaround at Thomas Cook - but gearing still too high
This new Lex video from the FT is a superb resource for A2 Business students and teachers who are looking at the strategy of tour operator Thomas Cook.
Student Examiners: 18 Mark Answers
This task ask the students to be the examiner, marking 18 mark questions and judging which level answers have achieved and justifying why.
The Biz Quiz - 24 November 2015
Another busy week in the business news. Were you keeping watch? We're about to find out...
Lack of Bargaining Power is Squeezing Small Business Suppliers
An examiner favourite is the question that essentially asks - why do larger businesses enjoy higher profits? The answer lies somewhere in the complex relationship between scale, efficiency and the...