The United Kingdom

European logistics service provider Hermes has announced a new international shipping solution, aimed at UK-based sole traders and small and medium-sized enterprises. Online retailers with a Hermes Business Account can now send their products to cross-border shoppers in 23 European countries.

A new study has found that 40 percent of ecommerce websites in the United Kingdom have experienced some downtime during Easter and other seasonal peak periods. Also, almost half of online retailers didn't feel completely ready for seasonal peaks in website traffic.

Ecommerce automation platform Lengow has opened its door to the business-to-business market with its integration of Amazon Business in the UK and Germany and Cdiscount Pro in France. With the integration, business sellers now have access to the three largest ecommerce markets in Europe.

Although 52 percent of consumers in the United Kingdom see next-day-delivery as their most preferred delivery method, still a fifth of UK retailers are failing to offer their customers next-day delivery. On the other hand, 65 percent of retailers offer click & collect, even when only 18 percent of consumers consider this their preferred delivery method.

Amazon is seeking a total of 1,300 warehouse units across Europe. The American retail giant is looking for small distribution facilities near major cities, so they can function as last-mile centers that receive and store shipments prior to their final deliveries to customers nearby.

Retailer's don't like abandoned baskets. But why do consumers leave their online shopping carts? In the United Kingdom, friction in the checkout is seen as the biggest driver of basket abandonment. A lack of payment methods and a lack of lending or credit options are other popular reasons for consumers to abandon the payment process.

Ecommerce personalization software provider PureClarity has won an award during the European IT & Software Excellence Awards. The British company won the prize in the category 'Big Data, IoT or Analytics Solution of the Year', beating Datawright, Celaton and LogiAnalytics.

Amazon has launched Amazon Business in the United Kingdom, a B2B service where companies can order a curated selection of products online. Amazon Business supplies products directly to businesses, but also acts as a middleman through its marketplace service.

HelloFresh has announced a collaboration with UK supermarket Sainsbury's. The meal delivery service will introduce some of its most popular meal kits for two into 35 Sainsbury's stores in London and the South East.

In the United Kingdom, homeware items, such as toasters and table lamps, account for a quarter of all online retail searches this year. Furniture is also very popular, as about one in five searches is for products belonging to this category.

Online supermarket shoppers in the United Kingdom may be getting the opportunity to buy local produce more easily, as Members of Parliament are suggesting a "Buy British" button on websites of supermarkets, so foreign products can be filtered out.

A new study on omnichannel in the European fashion industry shows that social media, online customer loyalty and store localization are the most common omni-channel solutions. The least common features are online order of in-store inventory with in-store pick-up by the customer, same-day delivery and shipping and in-store reservation of inventory for in-store consumer purchases.

The German-based logistics company Rhenus Group has expanded to the United Kingdom by acquiring Network 4 Home Delivery. Rhenus already has over 500 locations across the world, but the recent acquisition represents Rhenus entering the British market for the first time.

The Delivery Group, a fast-growing UK postal and ecommerce operator, saw its revenue increase by 61 percent during last year. Its turnover is now worth 200 million pounds, or about 235 million euros. The significant jump in revenue is mostly due to the acquisition of P2P Mailing last year.

Internet Retailing published its latest UK Top500 list, which shows the top online retailers in the United Kingdom. Retailers such as AO, ARgos, Holland & Barrett, Topshop and Next are among the leading ecommerce players.