Worst Retail Environment in 30 Years Drives Record Online Retailer Registrations

It’s a sorry state of affairs at the moment with the retail environment worldwide feeling the effects of an imminent economic downturn and suffering from consumer uncertainty.

All reports paint a bleak picture, from well established local retailers such as Myer, predicting that there will be ‘no light at the end of the usually bright Christmas tunnel’ , to global brand Espirit reporting a profit plunge of 98 percent, pulling out of North America and closing unprofitable stores across Europe and Asia in order to avoid further losses.

On local shores, not only do Australian retailers have to contend with the threat from international competitors, but with the debate about the lowering of the GST threshold and introduction of the carbon tax, the concept of the ‘little Aussie battler’ has never been more appropriate.
A recent addition to the Australian retail mix, fashion-giant ASOS is experiencing no trepidation and forging ahead with its global expansion unfettered by the general downturn.

International Director, Jon Kamaluddin, who will be presenting a keynote presentation at the Online Retailer Conference & E-Commerce Expo comments, at “ASOS we are focused on giving customers great service and fabulous choice, changes to the tax threshold will not affect that.”
“Australia is a young market in terms of fashion and we attribute this to the success of ASOS and many other international retailers. We see Australia as a market hungry for affordable international fashion and that is exactly what we provide,” he continues.

Demonstrating their resilience, local retailers have also been signing up in droves to take advantage of the educational and networking opportunities offered through attending the Online Retailer Conference & E-Commerce Expo.
“I’m astounded by the response that we’ve had to the conference, it clearly demonstrates the thirst for knowledge and determination of local retailers to push past the economic barriers to a new age of retail,” says Event Director, Mark Harvey. “We have had over 4400 registrations for the free expo pass to date and with just over a week to go expect the conference to reach capacity.”
“It’s an opportunity to educate your whole team and business about the next phase of retailing. Our aim is to offer practical, tactical information, in order to develop winning strategies to build better, more competitive, profitable Australian retail businesses,” Harvey concludes.

The Online Retailer Conference and E-Commerce Expo is the only event in Australia that gives retailers the opportunity to learn from some of the worlds leading e-commerce experts and retailers, investigate the best solutions and latest technologies for their businesses and grow their network of peers for sharing of knowledge and skills.

Delegates who register for the free Online Retailer Expo Pass will be able to attend all keynote presentations*, plus additional seminars in the Ideas Theatre on both Tuesday, 27 September and Wednesday, 28 September 2011.
To see the full conference agenda and register to attend the Online Retailer Conference and E-Commerce Expo, please visit: www.onlineretailer.net.
*Subject to seating availability.

Event details:
Name - Online Retailer Expo and Conference 2011
Dates - Tuesday, 27 September to Wednesday, 28 September, 2011
Venue - Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney
Official website – www.onlineretailer.net

About the Online Retailer Conference and E-Commerce Expo
The Online Retailer Conference and E-Commerce Expo, returns to the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre on 26-29 September 2011, will offer Australian retailers unparalleled insights and learning, including keynotes from world-renowned retail brands, such as Walmart, ASOS and Tesco.com. They will be joined by a line-up of Australian e-tailing leaders, including DealsDirect’s Paul Greenberg and Mark Rowland from StyleTread.

Set over four days and including strategic workshops, learning sessions, peer-to-peer roundtables, and networking events, the conference offers retail executives’ unique learning opportunities and the chance to leverage the collective knowledge of the e-retailing community.

The conference agenda is aimed at covering key existing and emerging topics within online retail, such as: cross-channel optimisation, online merchandising, site design and optimisation, mobile commerce, social commerce, search and email marketing, customer experience and e-commerce technology.
The Expo Hall will showcase 120 specialty exhibitors, demonstrating the latest e-commerce technology and e-retailing solutions, and provide retailers with a venue to compare, evaluate and discuss their needs with leading e-commerce and digital marketing vendors.
Also returning are the Online Retail Industry Awards (ORIA), the only awards in Australasia to specifically recognise and reward excellence in e-commerce retailing, which are to be held in conjunction with the Online Retailer Conference and Expo. ORIA winners to be announced at an Award Gala Presentation on Tuesday, 27 September 2011.

Nirosha Methananda
Special Projects Manager
PO Box 6088
St Kilda Road Central
VIC 8008
P. (03) 9585 9872
M. 0434 406 900
E. nirosha@mediapad.com.au

This release was published on openPR.