Posts tagged with 'retail'
Retail has been hard business in this recession, but over the 2009 holiday season, there were many winners, and those companies that learned how to listen and serve their customers online reached well deserved sales figures.
Traditional retailers have worked hard to compete with online brands on price and consumer satisfaction. And while they may not have reached their goals just yet, they are getting closer. According to a new survey from RIS and IHL Group, many retailers are focusing on improving their cross-channel capabilities in 2010. And if there's a lesson from 2009, it's that those retailers that don't keep up in digital will fall behind in sales goals overall.
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by Meghan Keane
21 January 2010 20:47pm
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The retail market is still recovering from the recession, but online there are more than glimmers of hope. Mostly because successful retailers are investing in the space, focusing on making consumers happier and bringing in higher earnings. According to comScore, retail ecommerce hit $29.1 billion this holiday season. That's up 4% since last year. Also important is the fact that consumers are happier with their experiences shopping online — and are likely to spend even more money in the space next year.
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by Meghan Keane
06 January 2010 22:29pm
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Much of the business of advertising comes down to creative. But when consumers make purchasing decisions, the quality of brand advertising is not what makes people reach for their wallets.
At least that's what the results of a new survey from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association point to. The study, conducted by Big Research, found that while consumers appreciate good creative, they predictably make decisions based on the savings they think they're getting.
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by Meghan Keane
15 December 2009 23:52pm
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Black Friday used to be a day of excessive shopping and deals for retailers taking advantage of consumers with Thanksgiving vacation time. But as the online and offline worlds merge, the distinction between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is quickly disappearing.
Retailers are stepping up their online offers for the weekend, but those who wait until Cyber Monday to lure customers are going to miss out on large returns.
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by Meghan Keane
25 November 2009 19:51pm
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The economy has been making some hints at ressurgance in the past few months, but it's nowhere near a complete rebound, and according to ComScore today, most of the bright spots in third quarter are only relative to the dismal results that occured last year. During its quarterly report "State of the US Online Retail Economy," ComScore chairman Gian Fulgoni characterized a generally dismal third quarter for retailers.
However, it's not all bad. Amid struggling revenues and rising unemployment, some retailers are increasing conversion rates and site visitations. What's their secret? Low prices and reliable online experiences. And there is promise in the fact that young, upper income earners are opening up their wallets again.
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by Meghan Keane
13 November 2009 00:04am
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Display advertising is starting to look like the little ad format that could lately. Online advertisers are moving away from click-through rates as a metric for display success, large companies from Google to Yahoo are stepping up their display efforts and now Nielsen has come out with numbers that imply display may be more effective for retailers than search advertising.
According to Nielsen, less than 10% of online retailers' web traffic, on average, comes from search engines. That's good news for display ads. But is it true?
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by Meghan Keane
03 November 2009 21:26pm
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Rumours about the economy being poised on the brink of a rebound have been inching back and forth for the past few months, but it's looking increasingly as though one sector is ready to reap in new sales: online retail.
That's good news for online, but somewhat surprising considering the state of the general retail market. Just today many retail stocks fell sharply after news of sales declines in September. What's standing between online and offline retailers? A small dose of innovation.
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by Meghan Keane
31 October 2009 00:02am
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The end of the summer is usually a high point for retailers. But it's mid-August and registers have not been ringing at their usual rate. In fact, back-to-school revenues are the lowest they've been in over a decade.
That spells bad news for the 2009 economy. But if there's one thing that is becoming more important in the moving of consumer goods, it is online marketing.
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by Meghan Keane
17 August 2009 23:09pm
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Despite the considerable economic doom and gloom, the online marketing industry still has va va voom, as a new forecast from Verdict Research illustrates.
The company admits that pesky recession is finally starting to hurt web retailers and growth in online spending has slowed, but it predicts that by 2013, online sales in the UK will reach £31.2bn, forecasting spending of £20.9bn this year alone.
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by Kevin Gibbons
08 June 2009 12:13pm
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In chart after chart, the numbers kept falling off a cliff. In delivering ComScore's "State of the U.S. Online Retail Economy through January 2009" report today, Chairman Gian Fulgoni didn't mince words. His references kept returning to the fact that the numbers have never looked this bad.
But ecommerce could be worse. A lot worse. It could look like traditional retail.
ComScore's panel (rather than survey) data indicate a drop in year-over-year online shopping in the critical fourth quarter of 2008, "The first time we have seen a decline in the eight years that we have been tracking quarterly," noted Fulgoni grimly. Any bumps in spending he attributes to an increase in gift card redemption - rather than actual buying - over the holiday season.
Spending drops were greatest more or less where you'd expect. Luxury goods were hit hard, as was entertainment spending. But there was also a steep 30 percent decline in spending in sectors such as office supplies as businesses cut back their budgets.
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by Rebecca Lieb
19 February 2009 19:22pm
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