When developing mobile strategies for customers, retailers may put most of their focus on creating options for smartphone users, as many people now carry the gadgets with them everywhere they go. However, attention also needs to be put on tablets, as consumers are increasingly using these devices for shopping purposes.

Internet Retailer reports that research from CoffeeTable revealed that between the third and fourth quarters of 2012, retail purchases made on tablets jumped 11 percent. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2011, that figure comes to 37 percent. The study states that the rise in use of tablet devices for buying products really took off last year due to the holiday shopping season, as many consumers didn’t want to visit stores in the cold weather and instead bought their gifts online from home using their tablets.

This trend is expected to grow significantly in 2013, according to Econsultancy. Retail industry experts believe that merchants will see a large boost in the number of customers who use the devices to access their websites and purchase merchandise. For this reason, it is essential that businesses develop mobile strategies that include tablet site optimization and options for consumers.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 at 9:27 am .

It’s a shopping trend that has been gaining a lot of traction over the past few years, and in 2013, ecommerce is expected to increase significantly. This will come from the large number of retailers offering online purchasing options, as well as consumers’ preference of using the internet to browse for and buy products.

Internet Retailer reports that according to Shop.org, ecommerce retail sales are forecasted to grow between 9 percent and 12 percent this year, when compared to 2012’s totals. The expected figures come from last year’s results, which saw an 11 percent increase from the previous year in internet retail sales. It is also anticipated that online sales totals will surpass those gathered by brick-and-mortar locations, as customers prefer the convenience and speed of web transactions, the source notes.

One aspect that could help drive the significant growth of ecommerce sales in 2013 is personalization, according to ShopSafe. The news source writes that businesses will be putting more effort into creating engaging and interactive online experiences for shoppers based on their preferences and needs, which will help boost customer satisfaction and contribute to a rise in retention and loyalty rates.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 at 5:19 am .

Retailers have been steadily implementing websites over the past few years to accommodate customers who prefer to go online to browse for and purchase products. These merchants have seen that web platforms are a great source of revenue, and they also serve as effective tools for increasing shopper satisfaction and retention. However, sites sometimes go down, and this can cost retailers money as well as lost customers.

Online retail giant Amazon.com recently experienced downtime of its site on Thursday, as Internet Retailer reports that the company’s page was out for approximately an hour. While not all Amazon components were impacted, such as Web Services, online shoppers were not able to access main pages to view and buy products. The cause of the outage was not immediately known, reports the source, but it affected many customers who perhaps went elsewhere to search for wanted items.

To avoid these types of situations, retailers will want to ensure their sites are able to get back up and running following an outage, writes Retail Gazette. The news source recommends that merchants develop strategies to combat worst-case scenarios. In addition, pages need to be constantly monitored for any potential threats.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 at 5:08 am .

While shopping online does provide a significant amount of convenience for consumers, there is one elements that ecommerce does not offer – the ability to try on or test out products. Retailers in the United Kingdom are seeing a large number of returns from web shoppers, and they are having a difficult time fighting this trend.

Information Week reports that businesses throughout the U.K. are having to process merchandise returns of items bought online, as consumers are not pleased with the products they purchased and choose to send them back. Analysts state that between 25 percent and 50 percent of items paid for on the web are sent back to retailers, and companies are also dealing with a large influx at the time of the year due to people returning gifts they received during the holidays, the source notes.

So how can merchants reduce the number of returns they are experiencing? Biz Report suggests that businesses incorporate more visual elements into their websites. Giving shoppers the option of seeing products with a 360 degree spin as well as 3D imaging will help them make more informed purchasing decisions and result in fewer returns for companies.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 at 4:33 am .

Some retailers have been hesitant to enter the mobile realm, choosing instead to rely on traditional forms of marketing and tools for their customers. However, recent research has revealed that mobile applications may actually help to boost customer retention as well as revenues for merchants.

Business Insider reports that according to a study by Flurry, consumers spent 15 percent more time on retailers’ mobile apps in 2012 than they did throughout the previous year. The research compared individuals’ use of several different applications, including daily deals, price comparison and online marketplace tools. While in 2011 retailers came in fourth place regarding app use, last year, customers increasingly accessed merchants’ mobile resources for shopping purposes, bumping up their use to first place above all other apps.

Tech Crunch writes that while daily deal apps did have their success, the Flurry study found that consumers prefer going straight to retailers’ mobile tools to browse for and purchase the products and services they are looking for. For this reason, companies that have yet to develop mobile apps should consider doing so this year, or else risk losing out to competition.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 10:53 am .

As was expected by many analysts, the fiscal cliff and the slow, but steady, economic improvement has had an impact on consumer confidence, and in turn has also affected retail sales throughout the country. Conditions are forecasted to improve in the coming months, but for now, the numbers coming in are less than were hoped for.

Fox Business reports that according to the latest research from Redbook Research, there was a 0.5 percent decrease in retail chain store sales throughout the first four weeks of January, when compared to the month of December. One of the main reasons for the slight decline was the winter weather, as many shoppers decided not to brave the cold and wet conditions to visit retail stores. However, there was some positive news with the study’s findings, as seasonally adjusted sales grew by 1.9 percent from the same time a year ago, the source notes.

Americans are less confident in the nation’s economy and their own financial conditions, as the recently released Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index shows a figure of 58.6 for January. This is a decrease from December’s index of 66.7, and the latest number is sure to have an impact on the retail industry.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 10:28 am .

For retailers that maintain a website in addition to brick-and-mortar locations and for merchants that operate solely online, 2013 will be a good year, as ecommerce sales are expected to significantly increase.

Internet Retailer reports that research from Alibaba Group found that almost half (49 percent) of web retailers surveyed stated they will be creating new sites and features this year to attract online customers and drive sales. One aspect that companies are looking to offer in 2013 is free shipping on purchases, as 14 percent of respondents said they will provide this element for shoppers. They will join the 42 percent of internet merchants who already have free shipping options. Other factors businesses are considering in 2013 are importing new products, developing mobile websites, expand their offerings globally and opening new physical storefronts, the source notes.

All of these components will help to drive the expected growth of ecommerce sales this year, which the National Retail Federation anticipated will be between 9 percent and 12 percent when compared to 2012. Consumers will be going online in larger numbers in 2013 to browse for and purchase retail products.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 8:55 am .

With the new year, many retailers are looking to re strategize and implement new policies that will help them see success in 2013. The National Retail Federation (NRF) recently released its retail industry expectations for the year, and moderate, but steady, growth is forecasted for businesses throughout the country.

In its report, the NRF stated that it anticipates retail sales will grow by 3.4 percent in 2013, which is below the 4.2 percent increase that happened in 2012. The association believes sales will be less this year due to consumers’ concerns about the nation’s economy and the impact from the fiscal cliff deal that was reached at the beginning of January. Other factors, such as national unemployment, the housing market, inflation and income growth will have an effect on the retail industry in the coming months, the organization noted.

“While it’s too early to know the full effect of higher payroll taxes, there’s no question that many consumers will feel some kind of impact from the change in their paychecks,” said NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz. “Overall we foresee some improvements in the second half of the year should the outlook for job creation and income growth improve.”

However, ecommerce retail sales are expected to grow significantly, as the NRF forecasts an increase of between 9 percent and 12 percent for 2013, when compared to the previous year. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 5:06 am .

Consumer confidence plays a large role in any nation’s economy, and analysts in the United Kingdom are hoping that the increasing confidence levels of its citizens will be enough to drive up retail sales, which have recently become stagnant.

According to research from the CBI, during the first two weeks of January, there was a 17 percent jump in sales among U.K. retailers from the same time a year ago, which beat economists’ expectations of a 10 percent rise. However, the source notes that the growth was not near the levels seen in the last months of 2012. For October, sales increased by 30 percent from the previous year, while November experienced a 33 percent boost. December came in a year-over-year jump of 19 percent.

On the other hand, analysts forecast that improving levels of consumer confidence throughout the U.K. will give retailers the sales growth they are looking for. Retail Week reports that people are becoming more confident not only in their personal finances but the nation’s economic conditions as well. This could soon be seen in sales totals in the coming months, the source writes.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 4:42 am .

Technology has quickly come to the forefront of the retail industry, mainly in the form of boosting web sales and reaching out to consumers through digital marketing. However, many merchants are now looking to use devices and systems for their in-store operations and enhance customers’ experiences through technology.

Advertising Age reports that one technological method that is becoming more popular is “rapid-fire” price changing tools. These systems are being used in brick-and-mortar locations, such as in Best Buy stores, to research various product prices on the internet and then adjust their in-store costs quickly based on the findings. This is helping to draw consumers into storefronts by offering them the same or less expensive prices on items they would find on the web. Industry analysts expect that the adoption of this technology will increase among retailers in 2013, the source notes.

Another technological approach is the use of location-based systems, according to Directions Magazine. Through this method, brands are able to send out marketing initiatives to smartphone users, who can take advantage of deals and discounts based on their current locations and which merchants are nearby.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 3:37 am .