• Sectors we work in banner(2)

    Quick Reads

Could the acceleration of ecommerce drive positive social change?

The insights in this excellent Economist article are fascinating and highlight the dramatic and irreversible shift in direct to consumer retail. The Covid19 pandemic has simply accelerated a developing trend.


Real and sustainable online retail success is actually not really that simple, even for the most established brands. Major manufacturers and retailers have been involved in digital transformation projects for a number of years – the back-end technology required to hyper-scale an ecommerce offering is significant. And, whilst there are enormous advantages in harnessing and utilising data collected from your customer base to tailor and personalise your product offering, there are considerable data protection and privacy implications to factor in.


It takes time to transition from a wholesale or multi-brand department store retail distribution model to a focussed direct to consumer strategy. Even the marketing approach needs to change – traditional advertising and promotions are less relevant to a digital consumer who doesn’t watch terrestrial television and isn’t even aware printed media exists (and certainly wouldn’t purchase an actual magazine). Online purchasers also reflect a growing demographic increasingly concerned with important ESG issues, responsible business and sustainability so brands need to ensure they are always on (and seen to be on) the right responsible business “path”- particularly difficult in a social media age where users are quick to judge and reject.


But, notwithstanding the legal, political and technical issues to address during the journey, the ability to truly engage with and know your customer (in the way Mr Johnson, Nike’s 1960’s “Bookworm” was able to) enables brands to develop the holy grail of a personal connection, actually something of a rarity in this increasingly disconnected world. Maybe, and this is the view of an eternal optimist, brands driving a positive ESG agenda through their connections with their online customer base (whilst of course striving to be profitable) could have a positive societal impact, helping to drive social change for the better.

One-to-one is shorthand for today’s upheaval in the world of shopping. The consumer has never had so many things to buy, or ways to buy them. New forms of communication via social media, messaging services and apps have brought producers and consumers closer together. Using trillions of gigabytes of data, manufacturers know better than ever what customers want. Their products can be delivered direct to the doorstep. The traditional middleman, who for centuries piled hidden cost on hidden cost, is being squeezed out.

Our thinking

  • The EU Omnibus: resetting the rules on sustainability reporting

    Kerry Stares

    Insights

  • Insights for companies from recent ISSB publications on materiality and voluntary application of the ISSB Standards

    Kerry Stares

    Insights

  • ESG litigation risk for UK-headquartered companies in respect of human rights, environmental impact and labour conditions overseas: An update on case law

    Kerry Stares

    Insights

  • iNews quotes Sadie Pitman on Manchester United's new stadium plans and the environmental aspects of major projects

    Sadie Pitman

    In the Press

  • Drapers quotes Kerry Stares on the potential for a review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015

    Kerry Stares

    In the Press

  • The EU Omnibus: resetting the rules on sustainability due diligence

    Kerry Stares

    Insights

  • Charles Russell Speechlys joins Legal Charter 1.5 as a Dialogue Partner and announces its involvement in a new carbon finance project

    Kerry Stares

    News

  • Further protection may mean further complications for development in Protected Landscapes

    Sophie Willis

    Quick Reads

  • The UK’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan

    Rachael Davidson

    Insights

  • Great British Energy: Planning for a Greener Britain

    Charlotte Inglis

    Insights

  • Insights from FRC’s review of Climate-related Financial Disclosures (“CFD”) by AIM and large private companies

    Megan Gray

    Quick Reads

  • Legal developments set to shape the UK’s Real Estate sector in 2025

    Sarah Morley

    Insights

  • A critical reassessment of the Modern Slavery Act from the House of Lords

    Kerry Stares

    Insights

  • Rachael Davidson writes for Edie.net on the role of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)

    Rachael Davidson

    In the Press

  • Hydrogen Hurdles: navigating the path to net zero in the UK

    Rachael Davidson

    Insights

  • Neurodiversity and the Law: Creating a Supportive Work Environment

    Briony Richards

    Insights

  • The EU Deforestation Regulation: an update and what it means for companies

    Kerry Stares

    Insights

  • The New UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard 2024 – an ESG milestone?

    Tegan Johnson

    Insights

  • A chink of light in an otherwise gloomy budget for farmers and rural business owners?

    Katie Talbot

    Quick Reads

  • Foundation Fortnight 2024: A celebration of impact

    Debbie Watson

    News

Back to top