A recent study commissioned by Barclays Corporate found that almost 63% of all mobile owners use their device during the online purchase process at present but that this still accounts for just 5% of total ecommerce spend (£26bn) for 2011.

However, the research predicts that this figure will rise to £19.3bn a year by 2021 due to the growing popularity of smartphones and tablet devices, sales of which are set to hit 6m by the end of this year alone. Read more on Mobile Search – the next frontier?…

Recent research published by Havas Media Social and Lightspeed Research has discovered that almost half of consumers aren’t interested in buying via social media platforms. They found that 44% of the UK social networkers they spoke to are “not convinced” about social commerce, and only 11% have actually purchased via social media platforms.

I’ve commented on social commerce before, my main gripe being: why aren’t retailers joining the likes of ASOS and HMV in selling through Facebook? Read more on What’s the reward for being a loyal follower?…

Delivery has always been the slow moving downfall of online retail; you’ve done weeks of research and the big day comes to finally buy your item online, only to find you have to wait five days for delivery.

But now, with the arrival of companies like Shutl, which connects with retailers to offer online customers same-day delivery service, shoppers have a choice: they can either wait five days or they can chose to pay a little extra and have their purchase delivered within an hour. Read more on Poor delivery is Achilles heel for ecommerce Shutl is changing that…

We’ve been saying for it ages, but now Deloitte and John Lewis have independently confirmed it: retail brands must invest in multichannel operations or risk missing out on sales opportunities.

Before Christmas, global consulting giant Deloitte’s retail survey produced some compelling figures to back this up, finding that shoppers that use more than one channel such as stores, online or catalogues before making purchases spend 82% more per transaction than those that only shop in stores. Read more on Our multichannel retail future…

A new trend is taking off in e-tail, which is becoming known as “social commerce”. This new online business model is essentially based around people’s enthusiasm for online voting, and with its strong social element it is going to be vital for up-and-coming brands and manufacturers. Read more on Is social commerce the next big thing for etail?…

A recent report conducted by search and navigation specialists FACT-Finder discovered that cross-border trading is one of the biggest barriers to ecommerce growth in Europe.

With the UK leading the way in online shopping generating €48bn in sales (with Christmas Day achieving record figures and Boxing Day proving to be the busiest online shopping day of the year) it’s little wonder that we have high standards when it comes to setting our sights on buying overseas, but what about our EU neighbours, why might they be so picky, they share a common currency after all? Read more on Cross-border trading and the barrier to ecommerce…

At Pod1 were always trying to predict the latest trends that will impact our (primarily retail/fashion) clients. Having had the luxury of an early (imported) iPad in our office for over a month, there have already been some quick learnings. Read more on Prediction: Magazines to be the new Ecommerce power brands?…

I’ve been thinking about how the iPad is going to impact the world of ecommerce, and since managing to get hold of one recently, I’m actually pretty excited at the opportunities, and challenges it poses. Read more on iPad UX needs consideration when it comes to e-commerce design…

It’s over before it’s even begun….well not quite, but Christmas is well and truly here. I’m getting a lot of retailers asking whether it’s too late to launch a site in December to take advantage of the Christmas peak period. The reality is, you’ve got nothing to lose even if you launch on the 24th December, but don’t expect to take advantage of the volume that other retailers will be getting.

With the above in mind, here are a few numbers and dates to be aware of:

NOW: people have already started researching their Christmas purchases. They’ve probably already come on to your website and either made a mental note of it or disregarded it from their options. Retailers with their full offering on show right now will have the best chance of ensuring customers see them in all their glory and potentially come back in the next 3 weeks for a lovely purchase.

The ’10′ days of Christmas: these are the 10 days preceding Mega Monday (see next item). Last year this peak in traffic commenced on Saturday 29th November and ended on the 8th December. This year, if it follows the same pattern, will run from Saturday 28th November to Monday 7th December. Still with me? 

Mega Monday/Cyber Monday/Monster Monday: Ok I made the last one up. I hate these terms. Makes me cringe. So 80′s. But cringe away Mr Shuman, as this is quite literally the biggest day of the year for online sales. This year it falls on the 7th December 2009 (woop woop, my birthday). It’s traditionally the 2nd Monday in December and for at least 3 years in a row, has been the biggest online shopping day of the year. In 2008, online sales were £320m on that day alone.

Wednesday 23rd December: this is traditionally the peak pre-Christmas footfall period in the bricks and mortar stores out yonder in the real world. Last minute rush before heading home on Christmas eve. Makes a lot of sense to me.

Boxing day, 26th of December: for the last 2 years, this has been the busiest day in online traffic (not sales) for etailers. Bargain hunters looking for deals. Unwanted gifts looking to be exchanged. Whatever it might be, just make make sure your hosting is up to scratch.

And here are some stats to note:

- UK shoppers spent over £4.67bn online in December 2008, which equates to £76.67 for every person in the UK, and is an increase of 14.2% on December 2007 (Source: IMRG / Capgemini, Jan 2009)

And here’s the kicker:

- Online spending is to reach a total of £8.9bn this Christmas, representing 20p in every £1 spent, and a 24% increase on previous years, according to research carried out by the Centre for Retail Research for Kelkoo. (Note: this is implying Christmas is not just December but is not clear which period it does include)

- 93% of UK consumers plan to shop online for their Christmas gifts this year according to e-Customer Service Index (eCSI) from eDigitalResearch and IMRG

So there you have it. Will online sales break all the records once again? Will the pre-Christmas sales skew the results? Will people shun the high-street in favour of on-line? Will I get what I want this Christmas?

Read more on 5 key dates & 3 stats for Christmas 2009…

John Lewis, love them or hate them, are actually doing something right.

Our biggest challenge as ecommerce evangelists is to ensure that retailers with on and off-line properties are properly integrated and sharing customers. After all, an increase in overall revenue is a good thing, whether it’s coming from the spanking new website, or the fantastic in store customer service.

Read more on Never knowingly undersold?…