Fintech PR
nShift: IMRG study finds retailers’ delivery and returns propositions are crucial to winning custom
The Delivery Service index (DSi), sponsored by nShift, examines the importance and impact to retailers of getting the post-purchase experience right
A new report by IMRG, which analysed the sites of 370 UK retailers, has revealed insights around delivery and returns offerings, including:
- 56% of the merchants surveyed for the DSi don’t offer free delivery
- 10% of retailers do not offer a dedicated page, or even a place on the delivery page, for returns information
- Only 22% of the DSi survey sample offered third-party C&C services
LONDON, Nov. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Delivery Service index (DSi), sponsored by nShift, highlights the role of clear information relating to deliveries and returns and the impact this can have for retailers on increasing new customer conversions. It also found that offering the right mix of delivery options and price points is key to protecting retailer margins without discouraging customers.
The annual survey is a ‘state of the nation’ on delivery. It examines the types of delivery and returns services that retailers are providing, how the information is presented, the areas that could be improved and the impact to both consumers and retailers of getting delivery and returns right.
With returns, retailers often debate whether they should be free, and previous IMRG research has shown that 70% of customers expect this to be the case. From the DSi sample, 42% of merchants offer free returns with pre-paid labels, amplifying the divide in perspective. Also, the most common time frame offered for returns is 30 days (37%).
Sean Sherwin-Smith, Product Director Post-Purchase at nShift, said: “In many respects, the work for retailers begins the moment the customer leaves the checkout because post-purchase is more than just ‘distribution centre to doorstep.’
“Customers today check out the delivery and return options, before they shop. If one online retailer can’t fulfil their need now, they’ll simply shop elsewhere. However, if a vendor can provide a first-class customer experience through excellent delivery and seamless returns, it can build loyalty with its customers. This increases the chance of repeat purchases and recommendations which, in turn, leads to greater revenue.”
In the report, nShift offers five tips for delivering the best possible customer experience:
- Provide and clearly display a range of delivery options at checkout – some shoppers seek swift deliveries. For others a low price, or low emissions options, are paramount. Offering a range of options at checkout increases conversions.
- Ensure transport capacity – during busy periods, it’s crucial that retailers ensure they can keep their promises. This is best achieved through relationships with multiple carrier companies and ensuring that the company’s tech stack can quickly facilitate these relationships.
- Maximize delivery success – giving shoppers the opportunity to identify and choose alternative Out Of Home (OOH) collection options is a welcome alternative to having to wait at home for a delivery.
- Keep in touch – relevant communication keeps the customer engaged and helps contain any negative feedback. If a retailer distributes communication in their own look and feel, it helps build the brand in the moments that matter.
- Make returns easy – operating a simple digital returns process gives shoppers confidence in the brand. It also makes it easier for the retailer to track patterns and work out why items are being sent back.
Andy Mulcahy, Strategy and Insight Director, IMRG said, “Delivery and returns information is often a major factor in a shopper’s decision to complete a purchase, yet 72% of the sites surveyed here put it below the fold. Exactly how to structure a page is always a contentious question, with many different things that can be tried to help optimise conversion; experimenting with this information, particularly where it is something good to advertise (free delivery at a threshold perhaps) is worth looking at as part of that process.”
The DSi is now available for download from IMRG. For more information on how nShift can help maximize your delivery and returns proposition, please visit www.nshift.com
Survey methodology
During May 2023, a selection of 370 UK retail websites were surveyed against 25 delivery-related criteria. A proportion of these criteria included reviewing how delivery-related information appeared in the user experience and customer journey, for both desktop and smartphone rendered versions. Websites were chosen to represent a broad selection of the market, including all contributors to the IMRG Online Sales Index.
About nShift
nShift is the global leading provider of cloud delivery management solutions enabling frictionless shipment and return of almost one billion shipments across 190 countries annually. nShift’s software is used globally by e-commerce, retail, manufacturing and 3PL shippers. The company is headquartered in London and Oslo. It has over 500 employees across offices in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Romania.
About IMRG
IMRG help their members understand and improve their online retail performance through a busy programme of performance benchmarking, data analysis, insight, best practice-sharing, and events. They have been tracking online sales since 2000 – and now measure over 120 individual metrics in a series of indexes, providing in-depth intelligence on online and mobile sales, delivery trends, marketing ROI and channel performance.
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/nshift-imrg-study-finds-retailers-delivery-and-returns-propositions-are-crucial-to-winning-custom-302000838.html
Fintech PR
Statement From Universal Music Group N.V.
HILVERSUM, Netherlands, Nov. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — “We have taken note of Bill Ackman’s post in relation to Pershing Square and UMG on X yesterday. Neither UMG nor any of its other board members were involved in the formulation of the views in that post. As disclosed in UMG’s listing prospectus, Pershing has the right to request a listing in the US subject to a Pershing entity selling at least $500 million in UMG shares as part of the listing. Pershing does not have any right to require UMG to become a US domiciled company or delist from Euronext Amsterdam. While the company will endeavor in good faith to comply with its contractual obligations with respect to undertaking the process of a US listing at the request of Pershing, any actions or decisions beyond those necessary to comply (including any decisions to change the domicile of the company) will be based on an analysis taking into account what is value maximizing and in the best interests of all the shareholders of the company.”
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/statement-from-universal-music-group-nv-302300565.html
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Manulife Investment Management aligns capabilities across regions under the newly created role of Global Emerging Market Equities CIO
LONDON, Nov. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Manulife Investment Management today announced enhancement to its equity organization in leveraging expertise across its Asia and Emerging Markets teams to improve investment experience for its clients. Charlie Dutton, an equity investment leader with substantial experience in Asia, is named to the newly created role of Chief Investment Officer, Global Emerging Market Equities. In this new role, Charlie will oversee and align our Asia ex-Japan and emerging market equity capabilities, ensuring we leverage local resources and insights across the organization.
Manulife Investment Management has operated in emerging markets for more than a century. Today, it has one of the largest equity teams based in Asia with over 90 investment professionals located across 10 markets in the region. By combining local insight with deep investment expertise, Manulife Investment Management will be able to leverage deeper information advantage over other asset managers based outside of Asia. The combined Emerging Market Equities organization manages over US$25 billion in AUM across Asia and emerging markets equity strategies.
“Collaboration and engagement have always been at the heart of our investment culture, and our emerging markets and Asia equity teams have participated in a variety of forums to exchange ideas and insights. The closer alignment of the Asia equity team with the global Emerging Markets equity organization formalizes the longstanding sharing of ideas and insights between our Asia and our emerging markets equity teams. We believe this alignment will translate into improved research sharing and investment decision making, and will enhance our ability to create custom-tailored solutions to meet client needs,” said Colin Purdie, Global Chief Investment Officer, Public Markets, Manulife Investment Management.
Charlie will be spending a considerable amount of time in Asia with the extensive investment teams across the region in the coming months. He will continue to be based in London, affording him the opportunity to work and communicate with the investment teams in London and across Asia effectively, ensuring connections between each.
Charlie brings more than 27 years of investment experience to this role, including over 25 years of Asia equity investment experience with seven years in Hong Kong as well as South Africa and London. Prior to joining Manulife Investment Management’s Emerging Markets Equity team earlier this year, Charlie was a fund manager at Ninety One as part of the Global Quality Capability team that managed assets across five strategies.
Before Ninety One, Charlie was a founding partner at Coupland Cardiff, an Asian investment firm, where he spent 10 years managing Asian focused equity funds. Prior to that, he was based in Hong Kong and served as director of Asia-Pacific research at JPMorgan and as a Hong Kong/China consumer analyst at JF Securities. Charlie started his career at HSBC based in Hong Kong as a HK/China Analyst.
“We are confident Charlie’s deep investment experience, including over 25 years investing in Asia equity, makes him ideally suited to take on the role of CIO, Emerging Markets Equities. We look forward to his leadership, combined with the support of our Asia investment teams, in building upon our strong foundation in the region, and leading our Asia business into the future,” said Steve Medina, Chief Investment Officer, Global Equities, Manulife Investment Management.
At the same time, Manulife Investment Management announced that Kathryn Langridge, Senior Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager, and Head of Emerging Markets Equity team, has shared her intention to retire effective October 31, 2025, after an impressive investment career spanning over 40 years. Meanwhile, Ronald Chan, CIO, Asia ex-Japan Equity, is departing Manulife Investment Management.
“The alignment of the Asia and the Emerging Markets equity teams is a testament to the critical role Asia plays in today’s equity markets, and further draws attention to the deep pool of talent in Manulife’s investment organization,” said Charlie Dutton, Chief Investment Officer, Global Emerging Market Equities. “By globalizing and strengthening this capability, Manulife Investment Management is better positioned to deliver for its clients while expanding the pipeline of research and insight the Emerging Markets equity team can deliver for other capabilities at the firm on a global basis.”
About Manulife Wealth & Asset Management
As part of Manulife Financial Corporation, Manulife Wealth & Asset Management provides global investment, financial advice, and retirement plan services to 19 million individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Our mission is to make decisions easier and lives better by empowering people today to invest for a better tomorrow. As a committed partner to our clients and as a responsible steward of investor capital, we offer a heritage of risk management, deep expertise across public and private markets, and comprehensive retirement plan services. We seek to provide better investment and impact outcomes and to help people confidently save and invest for a more secure financial future. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.
Media contacts: Carl Wong, Manulife Investment Management Asia, +852 2510 3180, [email protected]; Elizabeth Bartlett, Head of Wealth & Asset Management Public Relations, North America & Europe, Manulife Investment Management, +1 857 210 2286, [email protected]
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/manulife-investment-management-aligns-capabilities-across-regions-under-the-newly-created-role-of-global-emerging-market-equities-cio-302300146.html
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Palm Jebel Ali Project Surges Ahead in 2024: Milestones Achieved in Record Time for Dubai’s Most Anticipated Development
DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nakheel, a member of Dubai Holding’s pioneering real estate arm Dubai Holding Real Estate, has marked significant progress in the development of Palm Jebel Ali in 2024, with the project progressing at pace to meet 2025 milestones.
The development masterplan was approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai in May 2023, who said at the time; “Palm Jebel Ali will further strengthen our urban infrastructure and consolidate the city’s emergence as one of the world’s leading metropolises. This new groundbreaking project reflects our strategic development plan centred on raising the quality of life and happiness of residents.”
The Palm Jebel Ali area received further recognition this year when His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, approved the master plan for the 6.6 kilometre development of Jebel Ali Beach. The project includes a five-kilometre sandy beach, to be developed by Nakheel, as well as a 1.6-kilometre-long Mangrove Beach, to be developed by Dubai Municipality.
Khalid Al Malik, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Holding Real Estate, said; “At Nakheel we believe in developing dreams, inspired by the vision of our leaders and the hopes of our people. The rapid progress we are currently witnessing on ground at Palm Jebel Ali is testimony to the grand success of our key partnerships and our joint endeavours to ensure we deliver on our commitments.”
Several key contracts for the project were awarded throughout 2024, including the construction of a new 6-kilometre road, the contracts for the island’s marine works, dredging, land reclamation, beach profiling and sand placement, directly supporting the construction of villas. The first eight fronds of the project are expected to be site-ready for villa infrastructure and civil works by the first quarter of 2025.
Crucially, the contract for the construction of exclusive ultra-luxury villas on the first six fronds of the project has also been awarded and are scheduled for completion by late 2026. Nakheel recently announced their partnership with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority for the development of two substations on Palm Jebel Ali.
Video: Palm Jebel Ali
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/palm-jebel-ali-project-surges-ahead-in-2024-milestones-achieved-in-record-time-for-dubais-most-anticipated-development-302300134.html
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