Although retailers are extremely busy with the holiday season, many are keeping their minds on the coming new year. Once the holiday rush is over, merchants will be focusing on 2013 and what it holds for their operations. There are sure to be changes to a variety of aspects in the coming year, including technology, security, retail management software and marketing. However, retailers will just have to wait and see happens in their future, as there is no certain way to know what the new year will bring.

Internet retail sales to be boosted even more

Consumers are increasingly going online and especially throughout the holiday shopping season, to stock up on items they want themselves or plan to give to others. This purchasing behavior is expected to rise even more in 2013, according to Ben Smith, CEO of Wanderful Media. Writing for Independent Retailer, Smith states that this boost in ecommerce will be due in large part to online retailers offering more perks, such as free shipping and same-day delivery, which will drive shoppers to their sites.

However, Smith's predictions don't apply just to ecommerce retailing. He writes that larger retail stores will begin including brand-specific barcodes on their products as way to prevent showrooming, which is when customers use their smartphones and tablets to purchase items online while they are at brick-and-mortar locations. To keep revenue coming directly into their coffers, these businesses will create barcodes that cannot be scanned by consumers' devices.

Looking beyond 2013

It's difficult to predict what will happen for retailers in the future, and it's even harder to develop expectations for the years to come. Internet Retailing cites a study by Spring UK which revealed some ideas that companies have about potential for the retail industry. One idea is that stores will no longer be manned by people, but instead by robots and other forms of technology. Another aspect is that customers will no longer be forced to go to stores or have their purchased items shipped to their homes, as they will be able to print products on their own through 3D printers and devices. These elements are of course anticipated to be at least 20 years in the future, but it's fun to create predictions about where retailers could be headed.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 10:46 am .

Retailers are starting to pay attention to the fact that consumers are increasingly going on the internet to buy items and services, whether by using their computers or mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. One way that merchants are responding to this purchasing behavior is by increasing the amount of money they put into both the technology required to offer customers online options as well as marketing efforts to reach out to these target audiences. As businesses boost these aspects of their budgets, they can expect ecommerce to continue to grow as shoppers use the channel to stock up on products.

Ecommerce technology gets big focus

Perhaps one of the most important elements of online shopping is the technology that retailers need to maintain to provide internet purchasing applications and services. This is one of the main reasons why 70 percent of merchants are putting more money into these components, according to a recent survey by Internet Retailer. The research found that the bulk of this increase in funds will be going toward ecommerce platforms, but the majority of companies (86 percent) will outsource the development of these solutions as they do not have the in-house staffing abilities to do it themselves.

However, this is something that many retailers are hoping to change as online shopping becomes more prevalent, Internet Retailer notes. The source highlighted one business that is aiming to create their own web platforms soon to fit the needs of their customers.

"Next year we will spend more to ensure we have the systems expertise and personnel in-house that will allow us to stay flexible in our approach to constant changes in e-commerce technology and grow globally," said Michael Brady, chief technology officer for Market America, a cosmetic and health supply retailer.

Online marketing also getting attention

Retailers are also increasing their online marketing budgets, in the hopes of drawing in more customers to their websites. A recent study by Retail Systems Research revealed that more than one-fifth of merchants surveyed stated they will significantly increase their spending on social media, email and mobile advertising initiatives. These findings show that businesses are taking notice of the increasing importance of online shopping and how it impacts their operations.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 10:46 am .

Things are looking up for retailers in the United Kingdom, as it was recently announced that total retail sales volumes reached their highest levels in five months during November. This is especially welcome news for many merchants that experienced a slight drop in sales in October.

According to Bloomberg, a study by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)  found that the annual sales gauge increased to 33 in November from October's figure of 30. This year's third quarter sales figures were boosted by a two-year high in household spending throughout the nation, most of which was impacted by this summer's London Olympic Games. Despite this positive news, the CBI stated that retailers should still be cautious and not get their hopes up, as economists predict that retail sales will fall in December, the source notes.

October was not a great month for U.K. retailers, as sales dropped by 0.8 percent, reports the British Broadcasting Company. The month's report from the Office for National Statistics fell after a slight rise of 0.5 percent in September. However, these levels are better than the ones the country was seeing at the same time last year, as retail sales were up 0.6 percent year-over-year for October. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 10:28 am .

Consumers are increasingly taking to the internet to purchase items and gifts for the holidays, and many retailers are trying to take advantage of this by dedicating more resources to online marketing.

Internet Retailer reports that a study by Bronto Software revealed that one-fifth of retailers are planning on significantly boosting their budgets for social media, mobile and email in the hope of attracting more shoppers to their websites this holiday season. As a result of this rise in web budgets, 42 percent of businesses stated they expect their holiday ecommerce sales will jump by at least 21 percent when compared to last year's totals. Just over 50 percent anticipate their internet purchasing amounts will increase by 11 percent or more, and 67 percent believe they will see some slight boosts in their retail sales.

These extra efforts for online holiday marketing should come as no surprise, as ClickZ reports that this year's Cyber Monday brought in a total of $1.46 billion worth of purchases for retailers, according to research by comScore. This large amount made the shopping day the biggest online spending day of all time.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:28 am .

As consumers head to retail stores and websites to stock up on holiday gifts for loved ones, they have several items on their lists they are looking to grab. Recent research has revealed that customers are buying a significant amount of gift cards and electronics this season.

Gift cards are a popular gift for the holidays, as it allows the recipients to pick out whatever items they like, eliminating the hassle gift givers face of choosing the right thing. The National Retail Federation (NRF) cited research from BIGinsight which found that 81 percent of consumers will purchase at least one gift card this season, putting an average of $156.86 on each product. This represents a total of $28.79 billion that will be spent on gift cards, the study revealed.  

"Savvy shoppers know they can purchase a much appreciated gift card with ease either in store, online or through their mobile device, and give their loved ones the option to buy something they really want or need," stated NRF CEO Matthew Shay.

Time Magazine states that another group of hot items that will be bought and given out as gifts this holiday season include electronics, such as game consoles, tablets and ereaders. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:28 am .

It's been an eight-year battle for many retailers, but there may be some good news on the horizon for the group of merchants who are contesting a $7 billion dollar settlement between themselves and credit card giants Visa and MasterCard.

According to Inside Counsel, the potential antitrust agreement was put into place after Visa and MasterCard, along with several banks, were accused of working together to fix credit and debit swipe fees, which are expenses that retailers are charged whenever customers use their plastic cards to make payments. These fees totaled more than $30 billion each year, costing both businesses and consumers large amounts of money. If the settlement goes into effect, Visa and MasterCard would pay retailers $6 billion and would reduce their swipe fees for about eight months, coming to about $1.2 billion in savings.

However, many merchants are against this agreement, arguing that it is not enough and that it gives the card companies too much leeway, as they would be exempt from ever being sued for similar practices again, the source notes. The retailers have filed an appeal against a judge's preliminary approval of the settlement, which could prevent it from being enacted.

"It should prove very significant to the court that the majority of the plaintiffs in this case have repudiated the settlement, and that includes half a dozen national trade associations representing thousands of merchants," stated Mallory Duncan of the National Retail Federation.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:28 am .

Although Cyber Monday started out as a way for American consumers to purchase items from large retailers online, it seems as though the internet shopping day is reaching both smaller retailers and foreign customers as well.

Throughout the country, many small businesses saw the benefits of Cyber Monday with boosts in revenue from internet purchases, reports the Lincoln Journal Star. The news source spoke with several merchants in the Lincoln, Nebraska, area that experienced an online sales boom during the shopping day. Many of these owners told the newspaper they were extremely pleased with the outcome of Cyber Monday, and they expect these strong purchasing trends to continue throughout the holiday season.

Consumers in other countries have heard about the online shopping day and are taking advantage of it by going on the web to buy items from American retailers, according to Business News Daily. This is great news for companies, as it only helps to increase their revenues. The source cites research by FiftyOne, which revealed that customers in more than 100 nations purchased products and gifts from U.S. businesses throughout the day.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:28 am .

Although Cyber Monday started out as a way for American consumers to purchase items from large retailers online, it seems as though the internet shopping day is reaching both smaller retailers and foreign customers as well.

Throughout the country, many small businesses saw the benefits of Cyber Monday with boosts in revenue from internet purchases, reports the Lincoln Journal Star. The news source spoke with several merchants in the Lincoln, Nebraska, area that experienced an online sales boom during the shopping day. Many of these owners told the newspaper they were extremely pleased with the outcome of Cyber Monday, and they expect these strong purchasing trends to continue throughout the holiday season.

Consumers in other countries have heard about the online shopping day and are taking advantage of it by going on the web to buy items from American retailers, according to Business News Daily. This is great news for companies, as it only helps to increase their revenues. The source cites research by FiftyOne, which revealed that customers in more than 100 nations purchased products and gifts from U.S. businesses throughout the day.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:28 am .

Although Cyber Monday started out as a way for American consumers to purchase items from large retailers online, it seems as though the internet shopping day is reaching both smaller retailers and foreign customers as well.

Throughout the country, many small businesses saw the benefits of Cyber Monday with boosts in revenue from internet purchases, reports the Lincoln Journal Star. The news source spoke with several merchants in the Lincoln, Nebraska, area that experienced an online sales boom during the shopping day. Many of these owners told the newspaper they were extremely pleased with the outcome of Cyber Monday, and they expect these strong purchasing trends to continue throughout the holiday season.

Consumers in other countries have heard about the online shopping day and are taking advantage of it by going on the web to buy items from American retailers, according to Business News Daily. This is great news for companies, as it only helps to increase their revenues. The source cites research by FiftyOne, which revealed that customers in more than 100 nations purchased products and gifts from U.S. businesses throughout the day.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:28 am .

Although millions of American consumers hit retail stores on Black Friday, a significant number made the decision to stay home and purchase items through the internet. Many used their personal computers to buy products, and a large amount used their smartphones and tablets to get their shopping done. This highlights the growing trend of mobile devices being used for retail purchases.

Internet Retail reports that according to recent research by Easy2Technologies, the amount of Black Friday traffic on retail sites from smartphones and tablets increased by 155 percent, in comparison to the average number of daily visitors through the devices.

"Last year at this time, mobile and tablet shopping began to reach critical mass," says Ethan Cohen, CEO of Easy2 Technologies. "Since then, we have seen tablet sales explode and smartphone penetration continue its steady increase. Mobile shopping activity has grown 49 percent since August."

So what can retailers take from these findings? WRAL Techwire writes that mobile devices should be put at the forefront of retail purchasing technology. If merchants fail to provide mobile-optimized or -friendly websites, they could lose out on a significant amount of sales, not only during the holidays but throughout the rest of the year.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:28 am .