News
Survey: Online shopping should be brisk this holiday
September 30, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — According to a recent online survey of 200 consumers commissioned by Avail Intelligence, provider of e-commerce optimization software, consumers plan to shop online this year the same amount or more than they did during last year's holiday season.
According to a news release, the data could indicate another year of high online sales.
In a report from Internet audience metrics firm comScore, consumers spent a record-breaking $733 million last "Cyber Monday," up 21 percent from 2006. The number of shoppers who elect to browse and shop online continues to grow. The No. 1 reason for the increase is convenience, with more than 50 percent of of Avail survey's participants confirming that avoiding the hustle and bustle of the crowds was more important than saving time and gasoline.
"Retailers are now required to capture the mindset of the cross-channel consumer — the same consumer that spends 120 percent more per transaction than the in-store-only shopper," said Ivano Ortis, EMEA research director for Global Retail Insights, an IDC Company. "Retail e-commerce technology capable of supporting this requirement will need to blend the unique business-to-consumer usability functions with tight integration to legacy systems and core retail applications."
Another factor contributing to increased sales is the advanced technology deployed by e-commerce and retail sites. For example, recommendation engines and peer-driven reviews are features consumers have come to rely on. Forty-two percent of the respondents of the survey stated they seek a high volume of positive reviews when making their purchasing decisions. It is clear that Web sites that do not include this function risk losing customers and potential revenue.
"We expect traditional merchants to expand the use of social-networking technology embedded into advanced multichannel retailing platforms," Ortis said. "This will include links to Facebook and MySpace, consumer-directed product reviews, transparent integration with supplier product data, real-time product comparisons, buyer blogs and discussion forums."
In a report from Internet audience metrics firm comScore, consumers spent a record-breaking $733 million last "Cyber Monday," up 21 percent from 2006. The number of shoppers who elect to browse and shop online continues to grow. The No. 1 reason for the increase is convenience, with more than 50 percent of of Avail survey's participants confirming that avoiding the hustle and bustle of the crowds was more important than saving time and gasoline.
"Retailers are now required to capture the mindset of the cross-channel consumer — the same consumer that spends 120 percent more per transaction than the in-store-only shopper," said Ivano Ortis, EMEA research director for Global Retail Insights, an IDC Company. "Retail e-commerce technology capable of supporting this requirement will need to blend the unique business-to-consumer usability functions with tight integration to legacy systems and core retail applications."
Another factor contributing to increased sales is the advanced technology deployed by e-commerce and retail sites. For example, recommendation engines and peer-driven reviews are features consumers have come to rely on. Forty-two percent of the respondents of the survey stated they seek a high volume of positive reviews when making their purchasing decisions. It is clear that Web sites that do not include this function risk losing customers and potential revenue.
"We expect traditional merchants to expand the use of social-networking technology embedded into advanced multichannel retailing platforms," Ortis said. "This will include links to Facebook and MySpace, consumer-directed product reviews, transparent integration with supplier product data, real-time product comparisons, buyer blogs and discussion forums."
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