The rise of mobile commerce over the past few years has gotten the attention of retailers. But there is still a significant number of merchants thathave not implemented mobile components into their operations, despite the fact that a majority of consumers now own smartphones or tablets.

Besides the prevalence of retail sales made through mobile devices, shoppers are also using their gadgets to browse for and compare different retail products, Internet Retailer reports. Research from Harris Interactive revealed that 45 percent of consumers use their mobile tools to research various goods. In addition, 67 percent of respondents stated they check their personal emails on their devices, meaning that retailer can take advantage of this behavior and send out relevant messages to shoppers.

However, it seems as though many businesses are ignoring the growth of mobile commerce, states Tech Vibes. A study by Skava found that only 7 percent of retailers have developed websites that are optimized for smartphones and tablets. If merchants want to stay competitive and bring in more business, they will need to incorporate mobile elements into their operations to accommodate device-carrying customers.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, January 18th, 2013 at 3:53 am .

Offering great products and services is sometimes not enough for retailers to keep consumers coming into their brick-and-mortar locations. Some merchants are turning to elements that appeal to shoppers' senses in the form of special scents, displays and music to increase satisfaction and boost store revenues.

According to Retail Customer Experience, a recent study by Washington State University revealed that businesses saw success when they played music that matched their customer bases and paired the sounds with smells and displays that appealed to ideal shoppers. However, for retailers considering this strategy, they may want to avoid incorporating elements that are not relevant with each other. In addition, faster, more uptmepo tunes may not always work best in stores, as slower music can encourage consumers to spend more time browsing, the source notes.

The Register-Guard reports that several merchants in the Durham, North Carolina, region used holiday-themed scents and songs to draw more customers in throughout the gift-buying season. One example is Morgan Imports, which decorated fir trees throughout its store and played a variety of tunes to get shoppers in the holiday spirit.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, January 17th, 2013 at 8:10 am .

With the start of 2013, retailers worldwide finally got a minute to take a breath after a hectic and chaotic holiday shopping season. The new year brings with it the time to go over the strategies used during the holiday rush to determine which methods worked and which ones did not. These successful tactics, along with new ones, can be used to combat the sluggish sales that usually accompany the first few months of each year. To see revenues and business increase, merchants can use several techniques to draw in customers exhausted by holiday shopping and keep them coming back.

Boost sales slump with special deals
Business2Community reports that many companies see the dreaded slowdown in retail sales throughout the first of the year, and a lot are not sure of what they can do to prevent it. However, the source suggests that by developing effective marketing plans, merchants can draw in customers who would otherwise refrain from purchasing items and services so soon after the holiday season. Retailers can study consumer data such as purchasing history and preferred products to determine what items are most popular and then offer them in stores and on websites. This data can easily be generated from holiday sales, the source notes.

In addition, businesses can create specialized offers and send out coupons that can be redeemed at brick-and-mortar locations and online. These deals should be as targeted as possible, as they will appeal to shoppers' needs and wants, increasing the chances of them returning for future purchases. Spending more time on designing emails that announce sales and discounts will be more interesting to customers and encourage them to take part in the offering, the source writes.

Make online shopping easier
Besides creating attractive and enticing messages and emails, retailers also need to focus on making online shopping experience easier for shoppers if they want to increase retention and boost first-of-the-year sales slumps. Practical Ecommerce offers some suggestions for merchants looking to enhance website experiences for consumers, including making it easier to return products. The difficulty of sending back items is a main reason why customers may not purchase from online retail sites, so facilitating the process can result in higher satisfaction and revenue.

The source also recommends that businesses keep records of past customer interactions and transactions. This gives retailers more insight into what products are most popular as well as future items shoppers may be interested in. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, January 11th, 2013 at 11:33 pm .

Retailers across the country were hoping for exceptional holiday sales during the end of 2012, and while their wish was not fully granted, total sales numbers did increase from the same time last year, showing a strong season overall. Consumers spent more as they became more confident in their own financial conditions as well as the nation's economy.

According to a recently released study by ShopperTrak, holiday retail sales increased 2.5 percent from last year's amounts, and foot traffic at brick-and-mortar locations also jumped by 2.5 percent. In total, shoppers spent approximately $248.8 billion throughout November and December. Retailers improved their efforts to draw in consumers by providing deals and incentives and offering the most-wanted holiday products.

"Our data indicates that more people visited more stores this holiday season than the previous year," said ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin. "Retailers who understood their foot traffic were able to staff, stock and market to best serve their customers, ultimately converting more of the browsers into buyers."

Seasonal employees were one aspect that retailers paid attention to this past holiday season, as NBC News cites research from Challenger, Gray & Christmas which revealed that businesses added approximately 728,000 jobs to help with the holiday shopping rush. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, January 11th, 2013 at 8:51 am .

Retailers know that consumer preferences vary, whether it pertains to certain products, service interactions or which brands they like better. When it comes to shoppers who would rather visit brick-and-mortar locations or those who like to browse online, these two types of consumers have many of the same reasons for why they prefer one experience over the other. To accommodate these patrons, merchants may want to consider some of the latest trends and technologies aimed at drawing in customers to stores or websites. By offering what shoppers are looking for, companies can boost consumer satisfaction, loyalty and retention.

Convenience top reason for in-store, web shoppers
A recent study by Continuum set out to reveal the reasons why customers like shopping in retail stores or on websites, and the research found that both sets of customers stated that convenience was the main reason they do business with retail brands through their preferred methods. Forty percent of brick-and-mortar location patrons like convenience that stores offer, while 43 percent of ecommerce shoppers gave the same reason.

When it comes to in-store retail experiences, 22 percent of respondents said they don't trust the quality of online shopping, and 17 percent stated they don't like paying for shipping or return charges. For those that prefer online retail websites, 29 percent said it was their favorite shopping method because it's easier to find the products they are looking for. One-quarter of respondents stated they go to the internet for the better retail prices, the study revealed.

Improving both in-store and online experiences
Retailers will want to focus this year on accommodating both types of consumers by continuing to offer the aspects they prefer. There are also other things businesses can do to draw these shoppers into stores and websites. RTO HQ reports that recent research from Washington State University found that appealing to customers' senses through music, smells and displays can entice them to enter brick-and-mortar locations. For companies that use this method, they will want to ensure that all of the elements are relevant and consistent to have the best results.

As for online shopping experiences, Practical Ecommerce writes that merchants will want to consider implementing easier return policies and free shipping, as well as providing sufficient support and service options for shoppers who have questions. In addition, retailers need to effectively manage customer information, such as past purchases and preferred products to offer great experiences, the source notes.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 11:04 am .

For the 2012 holiday shopping season, retailers across the United States brought on extra employees to help with the influx of customers hitting stores and websites. These staff members were hired to answer consumer inquiries, process payments and returns and manage ecommerce platforms for internet-connected shoppers.

The Los Angeles Times reports that research from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that in October, November and December, retailers brought on approximately 728,000 new employees for the holiday shopping rush. This was the highest seasonal employment level in six years and it represented a 10.3 percent jump in hiring from the same time last year. Hopefully, many of these staff members will be kept on payrolls past the holidays, but that depends on retailers' needs in 2013, the source notes.

This significant boost in hiring could have been one of the contributors to the strong retail sales numbers for the holiday season. CBS News reports that many businesses experienced solid sales gains during the last part of 2012, according to research by Retail Metrics. The study found that for 20 retailers, same-store sales increased by 4.5 percent from the same time last year.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 6:51 am .

Each new year, there are several trends and best practices that emerge for a variety of industries, and it's certainly no different for the retail sector. With 2013 finally here, there are many aspects that are expected to make a splash for retail operations this year, and merchants that want to stay competitive may want to consider adopting these elements and practices into their operations. These include implementing technological solutions, incorporating customer feedback and targeting additional audiences with products and services. Of course, companies will need to determine which components work best for them and if they are able to offer new incentives for their shoppers.

Mobile devices, self-service options to become big in 2013
A recently released study by JWT Intelligence showcased some of the current and upcoming trends for retailers, based mainly on consumer behaviors and preferences over the past few months. Independent Retailer reports that one of the elements expected to become bigger this year is the emergence of more tablet shopping. Customers who own these devices are starting to use them to browse for and purchase retail products. To accommodate these customers, businesses may want to look at optimizing their websites for the gadgets or developing applications that can be used on tablets for shopping purposes.

In addition, consumers will be looking for self-service options for processes such as checking out and finding items in stores, the research found. These offerings provide greater convenience and faster transactions, and they satisfy shoppers who prefer to visit brick-and-mortar locations quickly to buy predetermined items, the source notes. However, retailers should not forget about the importance of engaging with customers one-on-one when providing self-service channels. Giving individual attention to shoppers and learning about what they are looking for can help to boost satisfaction and retention levels.

2012 trends retailers could implement
Beside incorporating new trends such as the ones listed above, retailers can also revisit the elements that became popular in 2012 and implement those into their operations. There were several components that came to the forefront of retail last year, and some are expected to continue into 2013. Time Magazine states that one of these was the significant increase of ecommerce sales compared to in-store purchases. While consumers are still visiting stores, many are preferring to buy items through the internet, so developing more web shopping options could benefit businesses. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 4:38 am .

There was much speculation leading up to the 2012 holiday shopping season, as retailers were not sure how American consumers would spend during the last part of the year. This was due to a variety of factors, including the presidential election, fiscal cliff negotiations and the ongoing recovery of the economy. However, one thing's for sure when it comes to holiday shopping in 2012 – customers took to the internet in large numbers to purchase products for the gift-giving season.

Billions spent online in November, December
According to a recent report from comScore, throughout November and December, approximately $42.3 billion was spent on ecommerce purchases. This represents a 14 percent increase from last year's holiday shopping months. The study revealed there were several days of significant spending, including Cyber Monday, which brought in 1.4 billion worth of products and other items brought through the internet. This turned out to be the largest ever spending day for ecommerce. The second biggest day for web purchases was December 10, also known as Green Monday. More than 1.2 billion was bought online throughout the day, comScore found. However, the total amounts for ecommerce holiday shopping did not meet expectations, as analysts were anticipating slightly higher sales.

"The 2012 online holiday season was once again a very strong season with growth rates in the mid-teens as we reached record-setting spending levels," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. "This year's growth rate is essentially on a par with last year's. But despite many positives for the online sector, this year's season did not quite perform up to our initial expectation for growth rates in excess of 16 percent as we fell a billion dollars short of our expected total of$43.4 billion."

Mobile played big role during holidays
One element that helped boost online holiday sales was mobile purchasing. A study by Adobe Systems revealed that on Cyber Monday, 22 percent of purchases were made through mobile devices, Internet Retailer reports. This was more than double the amount of mobile transactions that were completed at the same time last year. Additionally, Bizrate Insights and Forrester Research found that 25 percent of products bought on the internet during the Thanksgiving weekend were done through mobile devices.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 at 12:37 pm .

Retail sales amounts in the United Kingdom have been fluctuating over the past few months, as businesses have been struggling to boost revenue and customer satisfaction. It seems as though online shopping significantly helped merchants in December, as a large amount of sales resulted from ecommerce.

Bloomberg reports that according to a recent survey by accounting firm BDO, December retail sales in the country rose by 1.9 percent from the previous month. This increase was largely due to consumers' online purchases, as that amount jumped by 30.9 percent. The BDO study stated that flexible delivery options offered by companies was the main driver for the significant boost in ecommerce retail sales.

These recent figures are certainly welcome news for U.K. retailers, as November's sales amounts neither increased or decreased after a month of stagnant activity. In a separate article, Bloomberg reports that in October, sales fell by 0.7 percent from the previous month, according to research from the Office of National Statistics. This did not meet the expected 0.4 increase that economists had predicted. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 at 9:10 am .

Before, during and after the 2012 holiday shopping season, retailers were cautiously optimistic about how well they would do, as they felt consumers were hesitant about visiting merchants' stores and websites. However, the first sales figures coming in seem to be positive, as businesses performed well during the last part of the year.

USA Today reports that according to a study conducted by Retail Metrics, retail sales for December increased by 4.8 percent from the previous month. This beat the 3.4 percent rise that was forecasted. While not all retailers saw large gains during the month, there were others that experienced significant boosts in revenues, which resulted in the better-than-expected sales figures.

"A few retailers had a strong month and it really lifted the number up," said Retail Metrics president Ken Perkins. "That final week was stronger than most of us thought it was."

The news source states that retailers could continue to see strong sales throughout January, as people visit stores and websites to redeem the gift cards they were given for the holidays.

When it comes to same-store retail sales, December resulted in a 4.5 percent increase from the previous month, surpassing the 3.3 percent estimate by analysts, Forbes reports. These figures even beat 2011's totals, as December of last year saw a 4.2 percent monthly growth in sales.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 at 6:18 am .