Retailers Encouraged To Develop An eCommerce Sales Strategy

That is according to Magico.ie, a leading Irish ecommerce firm, which claims that web sales in Ireland are now exceeding EUR12 million a day.

Mr. Paul McGurran, Director of ecommerce, Magico.ie, commented, ‘Although traditional high-street retail activity is suffering a downturn, Internet sales in Ireland are likely to smash all previous records this year as more and more drop the high street for the super information highway.’

He continued, ‘For example, according to Realex Payments peak online sale in Ireland reached EUR12.7 million on Dec 4th 2007 last year declining to EUR7.3 million in subsequent days during the Christmas period. In 2008 average daily Web sales in Ireland are now exceeding EUR12 million per day’.

Mr. McGurran pointed to recent research in the UK showing that Internet sales will continue to grow and the web channel will claim more than half of the retail market pie by 2026.

‘This increase in online retail activity is being stimulated by numerous factors including greater broadband penetration across Ireland, and time-poor and price conscious consumers. Furthermore, the rising price of fuel is the main reason behind consumers’ inclination towards web shopping, with users spending an average of 1.6 hours each week buying on the Internet‘, added Mr. McGurran.

Retailers wishing to develop an ecommerce Strategy are being invited to attend an ecommerce Seminar from 7-9pm at The Morgan Hotel, Templebar, Dublin on October 15th 2008.

The themes being covered in the Magico.ie seminar include Innovative Email Marketing, How to Grow Web-to-Store Footfall, Holistic Online Payment Strategy, Online Marketing & Search Engine Optimisation and Online Shop/ePos Integration.

‘The eCommerce Seminar is aimed at anyone involved in selling products, including business-to-consumer or business-to-business. Professional speakers with direct online retailing experience will demonstrate how to turn Internet visitors into Buyers’, stated Mr. McGurran.

He pointed out that companies that had expanded their business into the online market were also experiencing an increased footfall on their premises.

Mr. McGurran stated, ‘Both sides of the business benefit each other because a lot of people browse at home and come in to buy and other people go to the stores and then buy on the Internet. However, many Irish retailers have yet to realise this and are unknowingly denying themselves profits’.

For more information on the upcoming seminar see http://www.magico.ie/seminar.

Magico.ie was established in 1999 and currently employs 13 people at its headquarters in Ennis, County Clare. Its current client base includes Fujipix.ie, The Bag Shop, Smyths Toys, Irish Auctioneers & Valuers Institute, Evergreen Healthfood, Munster Rugby Supporters Club, Freshways Sandwiches, Sisk Builders and Fitzpatrick Design Hotels.

The Magico.ie team consists of industry experts who have worked on large Irish and overseas ICT projects with partners such as IBM, Microsoft, Tesco.com, Ireland Online, Bank of Ireland Asset Management, and many more.

In 2005, the ecommerce, online sales and marketing firm received the ‘Best Web Design and Development Agency Award’ at the prestigious eircom.net Golden Spider Awards, the Oscars of Ireland’s Internet industry. Since this success, the company has been shortlisted for a Golden Spider award every year, as well as being shortlisted in the Web Development Company of the Year category at the ICT Excellence Awards.

Davide Villa to set up international B2B business for XING

The Executive Board of XING AG appointed Davide Villa as Senior Vice President B2B. Villa will assume responsibility for the newly created department from today, and shall manage all German and international B2B activities, including XING Marketplace, Advertising, Best Offers, Company Pages, and Enterprise Groups.
“I’m very excited about helping XING expand its leading position in the European market. This business area has an enormous market potential; I believe that the number of relevant B2B services available to our members has no limits,” explained Villa.
Mr. Villa has international experience in recruiting, and has established an active contact network in the industry. He is an Italian and is fluent in five languages (German, English, Spanish, French and Italian). His last position was CEO of Central and Eastern Europe for Monster.com.
After receiving a Master’s in Business Informatics from the Business School Lausanne, Davide Villa began his career working for Adecco. In October 2002, he joined jobpilot GmbH as VP of Sales and Business Development. In May 2003, he was promoted to COO and assumed responsibility for European operations.
“In choosing Davide Villa, we’ve won over one of the top managers in the international recruiting market, a proven specialist in establishing new business segments,” said Lars Hinrichs, CEO and Founder of XING AG.
The hiring of Mr. Villa was the first step in XING AG’s plans to expand the Company’s B2B operations.
About XING:
XING is the leading network for business contacts in Europe. Far more than a directory of business contacts, XING makes your professional network an active part of your life, enabling members to discover professional people, opportunities and privileges through its unique discovery capability and advanced contact management tools.
With the successful IPO of XING as the first Web 2.0 company to go public, XING AG has had a long-term impact on the social networking trend amongst professionals. By focusing on the target group ‘business people worldwide’, the company is able to offer tailored features, thereby making networking and contact management simpler. Besides Headquarters in Hamburg, XING AG is also represented with offices in Barcelona, Istanbul and Beijing.