IMRG partner with Affino to launch the automated e-Retail Benchmarking System

We at Affino are very proud to share the culmination of a 9 month collaboration with IMRG. The fruits of our labours have brought forth a truly smart, automated web-enabled service for retailers, powered by our own Affino Social Commerce Platform. The full details are set out in the following recently minted press release:

London, 27 October 2014: IMRG – the UK association for e-retail – is pleased to announce the launch of the e-Retail Benchmarking System, powered by the social commerce specialists, Affino.

The first of its kind, this automated system allows online retailers to measure their performance against a quorum of similar retailers (for example, young fast fashion retailers) on a daily basis (the day after the data has been submitted) from a PC, tablet or smartphone.

Offering instant access to business critical KPIs such as average basket value, unique visitors, checkout abandonment and conversion rates on a unique personalised dashboard, the IMRG e-Retail Benchmarking System makes it easy for online retailers to measure up to 12 months’ user behaviour, traffic and overall performance and then make a comparison against the rest of the e-retail market. Benchmarks can be filtered to suit the company and each KPI is displayed as an interactive and user-friendly graph.

As the e-Retail Benchmarking System uses just a simple line of JavaScript (similar to Google Analytics) to automatically track all the KPIs and provide measurable data, this clever system will not slow the website down. The core of the system is a highly secure, smart asynchronous sampling engine.

With over 1,000 retail members, IMRG feel they are well-placed to launch the e-Retail Benchmarking System as an addition to the series of monthly and quarterly Indexes (e-Retail, m-Retail, Quarterly Benchmarking and Delivery) for the e-retail industry. Having handled data securely for over 14 years, IMRG has ensured that all information provided by online retailers who join the IMRG e-Retail Benchmarking System is completely anonymous and totally secure.

Graeme Howe, Managing Director of IMRG, comments: “IMRG have been providing the e-Retail Industry with benchmarking information for over 14 years and this new system represents a significant leap in the service we can provide to our retail members. Retailers will be able to view critical KPIs such as conversion rates over desktop, smartphone and tablet on a daily basis and safe in the knowledge that the system is secure. Affino have provided innovative thinking and delivered something we feel will add great value to online retailing.”

Markus Karlsson, CEO of Affino, added: "We are very proud to be working closely with the UK’s leading association for e-retail. We both share a passion for innovation and smart analytics, and believe we have together created a really smart tool for empowering retail businesses to continually improve their performance.”

About IMRG

IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) is the UK’s industry association for e-retail. Formed in 1990, IMRG is setting and maintaining pragmatic and robust e-retail standards to enable fast-track industry growth, and facilitates its community of members with practical help, information, tools, guidance and networking. The strength of IMRG is the collective and cooperative power of its members.

For more information on IMRG please visit www.imrg.org/ or email membership@imrg.org

About Affino

Affino is a London-based multinational Social Commerce Specialist with its own in-house-developed Affino Social Commerce Platform. Affino works with companies and organisations to evolve business plans in order to create successful automated digital businesses, which are powered by the Affino Social Commerce Engine. Affino Social Commerce covers key industries, ranging from Retail to Publishing / Media, Professional Communities and Performing Arts.

For more information on Affino please visit www.affino.com/ or email engage@affino.com