Asos has proved that it still has a solid growth path and that young consumers have not stopped spending on fashion with a 35% sales rise.

The current big issues in online according to boss Nick Robertson are delivery and mobile commerce (or m-commerce, as it is now known).

Asos is currently talking to retailers to see if their customers can pick up and return items in their stores. Although it may seem nonsensical to some to drive traffic to your competitors, Robertson believes it is a win-win for them and any potential partners: Traffic to the stores and a more convenient base for Asos customers to drop off or pick up goods.

Asos has been leading the way with delivery options, introducing free returns and delivery for the first time earlier this year.

Making the delivery of online product as easy and convenient as possible has been a real challenge for etailers, which they are now really beginning to grasp. Many delivery firms are now using local outlets such as newsagents or even local pubs to drop off parcels.

Hopefully the “sorry you were not in” card followed by a trip to the post office and a long queue on a Saturday morning will be a thing of the past for those who cannot stay in to wait for deliveries. And lets face it, not many of us really can.

Asos has really pushed the boundaries here, and with lower volumes than Amazon, who also offer free delivery and returns on some products, it may have been seen as a risk. It is one however that Robertson is convinced will pay off.

Robertson also said it was working on a “fit for purpose” mobile site which will be, he says, a lot better than just a reconfigured version of its current site. He said for its business getting this right will be absolutely crucial so no corners will be cut.

Introducing Mr Porter

Net-a-Porter, on the back of its acquisition by Richemont, has announced it will launch a new dedicated menswear site; Mr Porter.

Although there is no denying the success of Net-a-Porter’s womenswear site, it will be interesting to see whether men are willing to pay for designer clothes online as often as its female customer does and as a separate site whether it will miss out on the female customer buying presents for their partners.