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Browsing or Buying? The Mobile CEM Question

In a recent post, we recapped some statistics just out at the Internet Retailer 2010 Conference: "It is expected that mobile spend will increase even more in 2011. Online retailers who don’t have a fully functioning mobile site and a way to manage customer experience on those sites will suffer."

This view is supported by new research out last week from analyst firm Ovum, who reveal that whilst sales made via mobile phones accounted for just 0.6% of total online UK retail spending in 2009 — £122.9m out of total online retail spending of £21.2bn — they will more than double by 2013.

Recap of Ecommerce Trends from the Internet Retailer 2010 Conference

Mark Mahaney of Citi Investment Research sent out a note last week with key takeaways from the Internet Retailer Conference that took place on June 8-11 in Chicago. The theme of the 2010 conference was “Time to Reboot—Get Ready for E-Retailing's Return to Double-Digit Growth.” In case you didn’t attend, below are the major trends from the largest ecommerce event in the country:

• Large online and multi-channel retailers are getting larger — Internet Retailer released the 2010 Top 500 Guide, including profiles and statistics of the largest retail websites in the U.S. ranked by annual sales. While ecommerce sales grew last year by 2% Y/Y, sales of the Top 500 Internet retailers increased 9% Y/Y, and sales of web-only retailers increased 20% Y/Y—during a year when retailer sales decreased Y/Y. Thus, the Internet remains the retail industry’s primary growth area.

The New eCommerce Channel?

If a business doesn't have an online presence, it's probably not much of a business. From restaurants to banks to neighborhood boutiques, they all have at least a basic website.  And with the proliferation of user-generated review sites and search, even if a business resisted going online, it wouldn’t really have much of a choice—someone else would just do it for them.

It’s very interesting to look at how businesses have taken to connecting directly with their customers on Facebook and Twitter. Considering these social media sites have 540,000,000 and 96,000,000 unique visitors per month, respectively, it was probably a smart move. Add to that a recent report showing Facebook surpassing Google to become the most visited website in the US. But all of that is quickly becoming universally accepted, and now, according to some, those numbers are driving a possible next phase in the online evolution.

Online Struggle: Are You Listening To Your Customers?

If you've ever worked at a company that has an online channel, you've definitely seen it: executives, business analysts and eBusiness teams alike, banging their proverbial heads against a wall. Why? They see shoppers browsing online, filling their carts, submitting their credit card information, and then boom! These would-be customers abandon their carts and vanish. What's even more frustrating than the lost revenue is the helplessness these teams feel as they puzzle over WHY the shoppers left.

A few months ago, we discussed the importance of figuring out "the why."  Now, new research shows that this is an idea whose time has come.