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 .

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 .

One aspect that retailers of all sizes face is theft, either by customers or employees. Billions of dollars each year are lost due to stolen merchandise, and businesses do everything they can to prevent this from happening. There are many strategies that companies can use to accomplish this, it just depends on the needs of retailers.

According to the 2011 National Retail Security Survey by the University of Florida and Tyco Integrated Security, retail shrinkage for 2011 was 1.42 percent, a decrease from the 1.49 percent for 2010. This accounts for more than $35 billion lost throughout the year, the research found.

"With the holidays and 2013 planning in full swing, it's important for retailers to take a look at these statistics and evaluate security strategies accordingly," said Michael Creedon, Tyco's vice president of retail sales and operations. "While theft is down this year, organized retail crime is on the rise and loss prevention solutions remain very important to help shrinkage continue to decline and operations run more efficiently and effectively."

To help prevent theft by customers, New Hampshire Sunday News reports that industry experts believe that effective customer service is a great method for deterring would-be thieves. If they are frequently helped by associates, they will have less opportunities to steal.

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

One aspect that retailers of all sizes face is theft, either by customers or employees. Billions of dollars each year are lost due to stolen merchandise, and businesses do everything they can to prevent this from happening. There are many strategies that companies can use to accomplish this, it just depends on the needs of retailers.

According to the 2011 National Retail Security Survey by the University of Florida and Tyco Integrated Security, retail shrinkage for 2011 was 1.42 percent, a decrease from the 1.49 percent for 2010. This accounts for more than $35 billion lost throughout the year, the research found.

"With the holidays and 2013 planning in full swing, it's important for retailers to take a look at these statistics and evaluate security strategies accordingly," said Michael Creedon, Tyco's vice president of retail sales and operations. "While theft is down this year, organized retail crime is on the rise and loss prevention solutions remain very important to help shrinkage continue to decline and operations run more efficiently and effectively."

To help prevent theft by customers, New Hampshire Sunday News reports that industry experts believe that effective customer service is a great method for deterring would-be thieves. If they are frequently helped by associates, they will have less opportunities to steal.

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

One aspect that retailers of all sizes face is theft, either by customers or employees. Billions of dollars each year are lost due to stolen merchandise, and businesses do everything they can to prevent this from happening. There are many strategies that companies can use to accomplish this, it just depends on the needs of retailers.

According to the 2011 National Retail Security Survey by the University of Florida and Tyco Integrated Security, retail shrinkage for 2011 was 1.42 percent, a decrease from the 1.49 percent for 2010. This accounts for more than $35 billion lost throughout the year, the research found.

"With the holidays and 2013 planning in full swing, it's important for retailers to take a look at these statistics and evaluate security strategies accordingly," said Michael Creedon, Tyco's vice president of retail sales and operations. "While theft is down this year, organized retail crime is on the rise and loss prevention solutions remain very important to help shrinkage continue to decline and operations run more efficiently and effectively."

To help prevent theft by customers, New Hampshire Sunday News reports that industry experts believe that effective customer service is a great method for deterring would-be thieves. If they are frequently helped by associates, they will have less opportunities to steal.

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

When developing and maintaining an effective retail website, one concern many merchants face is the possibility of the online storefront crashing or slowing down, which can result in lost sales. This was a big worry for many businesses over Thanksgiving weekend, as a record number of shoppers used the internet to purchase items and gifts for the holiday season. For the most part, websites held up to the vast amounts of traffic.

Internet Retailer reports that there were no major power outages throughout the weekend for the retailers that were tracked on the Keynote Mobile Commerce Performance Index. There was a slight problem with site availability on Cyber Monday, but it was not enough to significantly deter retail sales. The source notes that to avoid these types of situations in the future, especially ones that can have a severe impact on customer purchases, regular testing should be conducted to ensure that the sites can withstand large amounts of traffic and any interruptions.

Cyber Monday turned out to be the biggest online spending day in history, according to a study by comScore. Approximately $1.46 billion was spent on retail sites throughout the day, which was an increase of 17 percent from the same time last year.

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

When developing and maintaining an effective retail website, one concern many merchants face is the possibility of the online storefront crashing or slowing down, which can result in lost sales. This was a big worry for many businesses over Thanksgiving weekend, as a record number of shoppers used the internet to purchase items and gifts for the holiday season. For the most part, websites held up to the vast amounts of traffic.

Internet Retailer reports that there were no major power outages throughout the weekend for the retailers that were tracked on the Keynote Mobile Commerce Performance Index. There was a slight problem with site availability on Cyber Monday, but it was not enough to significantly deter retail sales. The source notes that to avoid these types of situations in the future, especially ones that can have a severe impact on customer purchases, regular testing should be conducted to ensure that the sites can withstand large amounts of traffic and any interruptions.

Cyber Monday turned out to be the biggest online spending day in history, according to a study by comScore. Approximately $1.46 billion was spent on retail sites throughout the day, which was an increase of 17 percent from the same time last year.

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

When developing and maintaining an effective retail website, one concern many merchants face is the possibility of the online storefront crashing or slowing down, which can result in lost sales. This was a big worry for many businesses over Thanksgiving weekend, as a record number of shoppers used the internet to purchase items and gifts for the holiday season. For the most part, websites held up to the vast amounts of traffic.

Internet Retailer reports that there were no major power outages throughout the weekend for the retailers that were tracked on the Keynote Mobile Commerce Performance Index. There was a slight problem with site availability on Cyber Monday, but it was not enough to significantly deter retail sales. The source notes that to avoid these types of situations in the future, especially ones that can have a severe impact on customer purchases, regular testing should be conducted to ensure that the sites can withstand large amounts of traffic and any interruptions.

Cyber Monday turned out to be the biggest online spending day in history, according to a study by comScore. Approximately $1.46 billion was spent on retail sites throughout the day, which was an increase of 17 percent from the same time last year.

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

When maintaining an ecommerce website, retailers are tasked with a variety of aspects, including customer service. This element can become difficult to convey through online portals, as face-to-face interactions are not possible. However, by incorporating social media and live chat strategies, businesses can ensure they are giving shoppers great experiences on their websites.

The importance of online customer service was recently highlighted on Cyber Monday, as consumers flooded company sites to buy items and gifts for the holidays. LivePerson, a firm that provides solutions for businesses to interact with customers online, revealed that it hosted more than 860,000 live chats on Cyber Monday. This represents a 30 percent increase from the same time last year, highlighting the fact that shoppers are frequently looking for service options when they are accessing retail websites. By offering this channel, companies can boost the experiences they are providing.

Internet Retailer writes that specially-designed websites can also increase service and ultimately lead to higher satisfaction and revenues. Offering simple and clean pages that are also attractive draws in customers and makes their browsing and transactions processes easier.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:27 am .

When maintaining an ecommerce website, retailers are tasked with a variety of aspects, including customer service. This element can become difficult to convey through online portals, as face-to-face interactions are not possible. However, by incorporating social media and live chat strategies, businesses can ensure they are giving shoppers great experiences on their websites.

The importance of online customer service was recently highlighted on Cyber Monday, as consumers flooded company sites to buy items and gifts for the holidays. LivePerson, a firm that provides solutions for businesses to interact with customers online, revealed that it hosted more than 860,000 live chats on Cyber Monday. This represents a 30 percent increase from the same time last year, highlighting the fact that shoppers are frequently looking for service options when they are accessing retail websites. By offering this channel, companies can boost the experiences they are providing.

Internet Retailer writes that specially-designed websites can also increase service and ultimately lead to higher satisfaction and revenues. Offering simple and clean pages that are also attractive draws in customers and makes their browsing and transactions processes easier.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, November 30th, 2012 at 4:27 am .