Content about Electronic commerce

With the holiday season fast approaching, there has been a significant amount of press coverage regarding the role mobile devices will play in driving retail sales this season. The consensus is that mobile devices are changing the shopping landscape, and that the 2011 holiday season will be the tipping point — the year that consumers widely integrate mobile devices into their shopping routine.

WASHINGTON — According to the National Retail Federation’s annual Return Fraud Survey, completed by loss-prevention executives at 103 retailers, the retail industry will lose an estimated $3.5 billion to return fraud this holiday season, down from $3.7 billion last year. Annual return fraud will cost retailers an estimated $14.4 billion in 2011, up slightly from about $13.7 billion in 2010.

CHICAGO — The third annual Mobile Audit, released Thursday by e-commerce and digital marketing company Acquity Group, found that mobile adoption is on the rise. In fact, the percentage of retailers with a mobile site reached 37% in 2011, up from 12% in 2010 and only 4% in 2009 — a 210% increase over the past year alone.

MINNEAPOLIS  — Target announced that Steve Eastman, president of Target.com, left the retailer to pursue other opportunities. Eastman’s departure follows a late August relaunch of Target.com.

The relaunch process did not go smoothly as Target brought its online operations in-house after a lengthy relationship with Amazon.com. Target’s goal was to reinvent the online environment and create a user-friendly and reliable experience, but that proved not to be the case initially as critics panned the site design and there were difficulties with functionality.

LOS ANGELES — The state of the economy continues to impact consumers' holiday shopping decisions as many plan to spend less or the same this year.

According to a new survey of 3,070 U.S. online shopping consumers, conducted by PriceGrabber, 45% said that they plan to spend less this year, while 49% plan to spend the same, compared with 2010. Additionally, more than two-thirds of those surveyed (68%) said the economic climate will affect their overall spending, with many of them attributing their decision to an increase in prices for food, gas and other necessities.

PARSIPPANY, N.J.  — Sales of cosmetics and toiletries through alternate channels have soared, growing by nearly $1 billion since 2005, according to consulting and research firm Kline & Co., and more double-digit growth is expected as consumers increasingly opt for the convenience of at-home shopping to meet their beauty needs.
 


Retailers, expecting thrifty behavior from consumers, are starting the back-to-school season with early promotions. “Retailers are already running door-buster promotions,” said Perry Smith, an analyst with the NPD Group. “The consumer has been holding out for last-minute shopping hoping for the best deals. In some cases, people are shopping after school starts.”


SAN MATEO, Calif. — New data released Friday by Motista suggests that retailers should look beyond the traditional set of holiday emotions, such as family and giving, to understand what’s really motivating consumers to spend more. The data also revealed different ways in which men and women interact and connect with retailers, which may be useful as retailers plan their holiday marketing campaigns.

ARLINGTON, Va. — More than one-quarter of U.S. retailers lack a mobile presence, according to new research conducted by 2ergo.

Based on data collected from 161 retailers across six categories, 2ergo found that only 58% of retailers have not optimized a mobile website and just half of them are offering consumers one smartphone application for either Android, Blackberry or iPhone devices. Among them, 7% of these top retailers have launched applications for all three platforms, 2ergo noted.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Traditional retailers today are marshalling their online resources to complement their brick-and-mortar stores, and retail pharmacies have an opportunity to use websites, social networking, smartphone applications and various combinations thereof to own multichannel customers.

NEW YORK — Nearly 80% of consumers plan to offset the burden of rising gas prices by altering their shopping behaviors, according to new research.

The survey, conducted by market information leader TNS, also found that 35% of respondents are removing items from their "typical" grocery list to save money. Other ways consumers are saving money is by purchasing private-label items over national brands (30%) and opting to shop at discount outlets over traditional retail outlets (32%).