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In today's newsletter we reveal that Pricerunner.co.uk has gone to some lengths to point out just how much more expensive shopping on the high street can be, compared to online. Its mystery shoppers scoured 11 high streets across the UK to find out just how much more consumers can spend in bricks and mortar shops, compared to their online rivals.

Pricerunner describes this difference, of some 31% across a basket of fast-moving consumer goods, as a 'high street tax'. Retailers will protest that they'd struggle to compete on price with the lowest cost venture to be found online.

But the reality increasingly is that customers do use price comparison websites to find the lowest possible price for that must-have item. That must be part of the reason why online sales are rising fast while high street sales are falling.

High-street retailers may not be able to compete on price - but what they have always had going for them is convenience. But it's no longer enough just to be there. Stores must also offer competitive prices, even if they're not the lowest, alongside customer service that challenges what's to be found online in terms of convenience.

That's something that John Lewis, a recognized leader in multichannel retailing, is putting the emphasis on in its new ad campaign, also covered in the newsletter, which is based on service, quality and price.

Elsewhere in today's newsletter you'll see both Tesco and Asos reporting convincing rises in their online sales, while fashion designer Paul Smith's new website has extended its use of e-commerce.