Showpo sweeps Online Retail Industry Awards with four wins

Fashion business Showpo has swept this year’s Online Retail Industry Awards, taking out the online retailer of the year award and the best international conqueror, best site optimisation and design, and best social commerce initiative awards to boot.

The Daily Edited, meanwhile, took out the award for best omnichannel customer service, while Catch won the award for best mobile commerce site or application.

Kogan walked away with the People’s Choice Award for large online retailer, while Koh Australia won the People’s Choice Award for small online retailer.

Alice Kuepper, event director of the ORIAs, said, “The ORIAs honour the retailing champions that set new standards of brilliance for online and in-store, whether that be through innovation, growth, or customer experience. These awards are a testament to retailer’s dedication and hard work to stay competitive in today’s modern marketplace.

“The judges were set with a very hard task to determine the winners as each nominee has achieved brilliant things in their category. We congratulate each winner and acknowledge and celebrate their success as an industry.”

In recognising both online and in-store initiatives, the ORIAs reflect consumer tastes and trends; rather than going all in on ecommerce, a range of reports have underscored the importance of building an omnichannel strategy.

A recent study from the Australian Consumer, Retail, and Services Research Unit predicted that local shoppers will, in five years’ time, be splitting their time between online shopping and in-store at 45 percent and 48 percent respectively.

This goes for consumers of all ages: a report from AMP Capital found 87 percent of Australia’s “future shoppers”, defined as those aged 18-22, like or love shopping in-store, however they incorporate online into their shopping experience: 61 per cent of future shoppers who prefer the in-store experience do online research while visiting a retail outlet, and 63 percent use online ‘wish list’ features to save items.

Speaking to Kochie’s Business Builders earlier this month, Kuepper said Australian retailers are taking notice.

Many, Kuepper said, are investing heavily in digtal in order to provide seamless shopping journeys between online and offline, leading to a normalisation of what she calls the “phygital” shopping experience and the upping of consumer expectations.

“Consumers expect to have one brand experience across the online, offline, mobile and desktop shopping channels, and retailers are working hard to deliver this,” she said.

“Trends like customisation of products and personalisation of marketing messages are also very important developments. Another huge trend that’s really taken off with the millennial consumer is the advent of buy now, pay later, with new payments options to facilitate this. Essentially all retailers want to deliver great customer experiences that are relevant to the individual buyer and are sourcing new technologies for this.”

The full list of ORIAs winners:

– Best Bootstrapped Growth Initiative: I=Change

– Best International Conqueror: Showpo

– Best Omnichannel Customer Service: The Daily Edited

– Best Social Commerce Initiative: Showpo

– Best Mobile Commerce Site/Application: Catch

– Best Site Optimisation & Design: Showpo

– Best Online Retail Marketing: Beer Cartel

– Best Pop-Up Experience: Hunting For George

– Best In-Store Initiative: Cue Clothing Co

– Best Multichannel Retailer: Supercheap Auto

– Best Small Independent Retailer: Flora & Fauna