online retail - Internet Marketing News and Blogs

US e-commerce sales rose by over a fifth in the second quarter of the year, according to new figures from the Commerce Department.

The period saw online retailers generating adjusted income of $33.6bn, an increase of 6.4% from Q1 and 20.8% from the same period in 2006.  

Just under 50% of online customers abandon their purchases during the checkout process - one of the biggest causes of lost revenue for online retailers.

While many of the reasons for this are beyond the control of the retailer, such as comparison shopping by users with no intent to buy, there is still much that can be done to reduce abandonment rates.

E-consultancy this week publishes its Online Retail Checkout Special Report, a must-read for e-commerce site owners who want to understand how they can reduce abandonment rates.

Here, Dr Mike Baxter, the author, talks about some of the key issues and problem areas associated with checkouts - and some of the 'quick wins' for etailers.

Nearly half of online shoppers would abandon their shopping trolley if confronted by 'hidden' charges during the checkout process, according to a survey from Webcredible.

Webcredible polled visitors to its website in September, October and November, asking them what would make them abandon an order when shopping online.

A new survey of 1,000 US adults reveals consumer attitudes to multi-channel retailing, with 80% saying that it is important to have a choice of shopping instore, by telephone, or online.

The results of the survey suggest that US retailers are failing to meet customer demands for effective multichannel retailing.

Online retailers have had a more successful Christmas than their high street counterparts, with IMRG reporting that high street sales are down , and online sales up by between 40 and 50% compared to 2005.

Larger internet retailers like Tesco and Amazon seem to have enjoyed a particularly successful Christmas period, with both setting records for online sales.

The American Express Retail Monitor has found that, as shoppers become more clued up about the products they are buying, retailers have realised the importance of providing product information.

The survey found that 85% of retailers view the provision of product information as a key factor in attracting the kind of consumers who now demand comprehensive product information before making a purchase.

All of which sounds a lot like common sense, yet we all know that many etail sites still fail in this area.

UK retail sales were higher than expected in October, with sales boosted by the growth in online shopping.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the volume of retail sales increased by 0.9% in October, higher than analysts’ predictions of 0.3%. This represents the biggest monthly rise since November last year.

Asda, the UK’s second largest supermarket chain, is to massively expand its etailing capacity after admitting it underestimated demand for online shopping.

The Wal-Mart-owned group wants to regain ground on arch-rival Tesco, which dominates the online grocery space.