Luke Richards

I'm a freelance writer, researcher and consultant living in Falmouth, UK. Much of my work focuses on digital areas such as SEO and online PR, as well as social media technologies and emerging methods of online collaboration.

Find me at: luke-richards.co.uk | twitter.com/myyada

Ecommerce stats: online shopping in the Middle East

The Middle East and North Africa edition of our Internet Statistics Compendium has seen some interesting updates over the past few months, with some fascinating insights into ecommerce across the region.

This post gives a general overview of the online retail numbers and brands which are proving significant in the Middle East. For further details of the many specific trends and developments within respective MENA markets, check out the latest edition of our ISC.

by Luke Richards 16 May 2013 09:48am 4 comments

Stats: Time to reassess and redefine silver surfers?

The beginning of the year is always a fascinating time for stats as numerous analysts look to the data of the preceding 12 months before estimating likely trends on the horizon.

The latest update to our Internet Statistics Compendium reflects this, with major additions from new research by Mary Meeker, IAB and comScore among many others.

Indeed, it is the latest batch of reports from comScore, and particularly its UK Digital Future in Focus 2013, I’m focusing on today.

by Luke Richards 19 April 2013 10:40am 1 comment

Stats: Multichannel commerce variations across countries, people and products

The global edition of our Internet Statistics Compendium saw a bumper update this month, collecting some of the most interesting freely accessible data published about all things digital – including social media, mobile and ecommerce.

One area which I think is particularly deserving of our analytical curiosity is multichannel commerce, and PwC’s recent report on the subject is excellent reading at a time when shopping across offline and online internationally is still a relatively mysterious beast.

by Luke Richards 26 February 2013 09:16am 0 comments

Start Me Up! A profile of Noodle Live

By using mobile app and cloud technology to make it easier for attendees to collect information at exhibitions, Noodle Live have also found a way to give added value to conference organisers and exhibitors.

I spoke to founder Clemi Hardi about improving events with multichannel ideas.

by Luke Richards 12 February 2013 13:51pm 0 comments

Stats: Mobile money trends in the UK

With Christmas behind us once more, it was unsurprising to many that smartphones and tablets played an even bigger part in our holiday shopping activities than they have done in the past.

As you would expect, our Internet Statistics Compendium is stacked full of the latest insight into how the festive season is becoming an increasingly mobile and online orientated affair for more and more people.

by Luke Richards 15 January 2013 11:01am 0 comments

E-commerce stats: The importance of returning customers

As Christmas gets closer we can expect to see a wealth of e-commerce stats being added to our Internet Statistics Compendium.

This month, there has been some interesting data concerning what online retailers think about the importance of returning customers and some juicy trends highlighting the real worth of shoppers who come back for more compared to first time buyers.

by Luke Richards 09 November 2012 11:06am 4 comments

Stats: How online music and video affects Australian media consumption

Our Internet Statistics Compendium has seen another bumper update this month, with an impressive swathe of data focusing on the internet landscape in Australia.

The latest report released by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCi) gives a comprehensive overview into how the internet has become integral to Australians as a social tool, a shopping platform and an entertainment channel since 2007.

Yet, it is the report’s insight into audio and video trends which are some of the most interesting, with online perhaps not eating into consumption habits of traditional media as much as we might expect. Be sure to check out the Australia and New Zealand edition of our ISC for more from the region.

by Luke Richards 16 October 2012 01:00am 1 comment

Stats: Do consumers appreciate live chat on websites?

The latest update to our Internet Statistics Compendium is released today and collects another month’s worth of great publicly available data from across the global digital landscape.

Some of the most interesting data this month looks at live chat in the US and the UK. With more consumers being given the option of speaking to customer service employees in real time during the purchase process, are prospective shoppers keen to chat?

How should businesses seek to engage site-visitors in conversation?

by Luke Richards 05 September 2012 10:21am 23 comments

Stats: Social media growth and impact across the Middle East

As we move into the second half of the year, our Internet Statistics Compendium is really starting to offer many insights into how 2012 is shaping up across different regions.

The latest edition of our MENA report has seen some key social media data added from the Arab region this month, highlighting the continuing healthy adoption of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

by Luke Richards 08 August 2012 10:18am 4 comments

Engagement with social media campaigns: stats

July sees another update to our Internet Statistics Compendium, and another month-load of the best publicly available data for digital marketers handily collected across our eight regional reports.

Some of the juiciest stats to reach our ISC over the last month have been around social media engagement.

Not only are engagement levels changing among fans, followers and viewers, as more brands look to social campaigns to reach audiences, but the way companies are measuring engagement is also evolving.

by Luke Richards 11 July 2012 10:01am 0 comments