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 .

The day after Thanksgiving was the official start to this year's holiday shopping season and it certainly didn't disappoint. For both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, millions of American consumers flocked to retail stores and websites to stock up on items and gifts. The two days also brought in billions for merchants throughout the country.

According to a recently released report by comScore, Cyber Monday brought in a total of $1.46 billion in online purchases, making it the highest internet spending day in history. This year's Cyber Monday amount is a 17 percent jump from the same time last year.

"Despite some news reports suggesting that Cyber Monday might be declining in importance, the day has once again set an online spending record at nearly $1.5 billion," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. "Now, we shall see the extent to which continuing and attractive retailer promotions are able to boost sales for the remainder of the week."

For Black Friday weekend, both brick-and-mortar locations and websites saw a significant amount of traffic. The Journal Sentinel reports that 247 million consumers hit retail stores, while 89 million went online to shop over three days. This resulted in more than $60 billion in sales from both stores and sites.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, November 29th, 2012 at 4:08 am .

This holiday season, there will consumers who shop only at brick-and-mortar stores, while others will stick solely with shopping online. There will also be customers who rely on both methods to buy needed items and gifts. Retailers that provide these channels to accommodate consumers can experience significant benefits, such as increased revenue and boosts in loyalty and retention.

Independent Retailer writes that many businesses are planning to provide both in-store and online shopping options for their customers throughout the holiday season. Brick-and-mortar merchants are merging a variety of physical storefront aspects with digital components. For example, brands are using the location-based capabilities of social media to allow consumers to check-in and share what they are buying. Companies are also implementing gamification elements into their brick-and-mortar stores, giving customers a more engaging way to interact with retailers.

Another trend that is emerging this holiday shopping season is the boost in hiring of temporary retail workers. According to Monster, businesses are bringing on additional employees to help with the flood of customers as well as the merging of physical and digital aspects. Many of these new part-time positions are actually turned into full-time work after the holidays are over.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, November 28th, 2012 at 4:47 am .

Although Black Friday is known as the official start to the holiday shopping season, and retailers experience strong sales throughout the entire weekend. This includes Cyber Monday, which is the Monday immediately following Thanksgiving. On Black Friday, consumers hit retail brick-and-mortar locations to stock up on products, but that Monday is mainly designated for internet purchases. For this year, ecommerce amounts spent on Cyber Monday are expected to significantly surpass last year's totals, as more shoppers logged on to the internet to find and buy the items and gifts they want.

Cyber Monday to see nearly 130 million consumers

Independent Retailer reports that according to a recently released study by Shop.org and BIGinsight, approximately 129.2 million American consumers are expected to go online to purchase products for the holiday season. This is a significant increase from last year's total of 122.8 million, and an even bigger jump than the 106.9 million who participated in Cyber Monday in 2010. 

Besides desktop computers, many shoppers will be using their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to access merchants' websites. The research found that 20.8 million Americans will use these connected tools to buy items this year, up from the 17.8 million who did so last year.

"The momentum from a solid Black Friday weekend certainly looks like it will carry on into Cyber Monday," stated BIGinsight Consumer Insights director Pam Goodfellow. "Millions of shoppers will be visiting retailers' websites from their smartphones, tablets, home computers and work computers to check out special Cyber Monday promotions and make the most of their holiday shopping budgets."

The source reports that Shop.org created the term "Cyber Monday," after an online shopping trend was discovered the Monday after Thanksgiving. Retailers have taken notice of the designated day and are now offering a variety of discounts and deals for consumers on the internet.

Purchasing amounts expected to increase

As more shoppers go online for Cyber Monday this year, total purchasing amounts are also expected to drastically increase. Business Day reports that analysis from comScore revealed that approximately $1.5 billion will be spent through the internet throughout the day. Last year brought in $1.25 billion for web retailers. This rise is mainly due to the fact that businesses will be offering a variety of deals and discounts aimed at drawing in consumers to their websites.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012 at 3:50 am .

American consumers hit both retail stores and websites in droves over the Thanksgiving weekend. While definite numbers are not yet known, Black Friday internet sales saw a significant bump from last year's amounts. The holiday shopping season has only just begun, so merchants are still optimistic about strong sales over the coming weeks.

Internet Retailer reports that research from IBM revealed that many shoppers opted out of going to brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday, instead deciding to purchase items and gifts online. Ecommerce retail sales on this day were up 20.7 percent from last year's Black Friday. However, consumers spent less on products and also bought fewer items, IBM found. One of the reasons for this slight drop could be due to businesses lowering the minimum amounts for customers to be eligible for free shipping.

While these numbers were not as high as were hoped for, Black Friday is just the official start of the holiday shopping season, so the next few weeks could see strong boosts in overall retail sales. The National Retail Federation estimates that holiday purchases will increase by 4.1 percent this year from 2011's amounts, reaching a total of $568.1 billion both in stores and online.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012 at 3:50 am .

With the recent economic recession out of the way, retailers are starting to feel confident about the direction of their operations, both currently and in the near future. The holiday season is expected to be strong, as American consumers are also becoming more confident. Companies are investing more in additional purchasing channels, and hiring is also climbing. However, there are still lingering concerns over what will happen in the coming months, and retailers are remaining cautious.

How do retailers really feel?

Recent research by the CIT Group aimed to gain a better understanding of the current outlooks of the nation's retailers. Titled "Taking Stock in Tough Times: U.S. Retail Sector Outlook," the study revealed that to boost their operations, merchants are focusing on growing their products, services and revenues. Forty-five percent of the businesses surveyed stated they are expanding their product selection, and 42 percent are starting to offer customer loyalty programs to drive retention.

Investments in social media and mobile marketing are on the rise. More than half of retailers said they are very active or active on social networks. Forty-three percent are engaged in mobile marketing initiatives, with 63 percent of those respondents currently operating mobile applications.

On the other hand, there are still concerns about the economy, as 61 percent said they expect the recent financial crisis to come to a complete end at some time in 2013 instead of sooner. Forty percent think full recovery will take until 2014.

"Beyond the holiday season, while the election is settled, uncertainty about tax rates, anxiety with regard to the 'fiscal cliff' and an uncertain regulatory climate are prompting a more cautious approach to 2013," states Burt Feinberg, group head of CIT Commercial and Industrial. "It seems that the sting of the Great Recession still affects the psychology of retail executives and growth initiatives are more focused on maximizing business through technology versus major expansion."

Retailers looking to ecommerce future

Perhaps one of the biggest resources that retailers will be paying attention to is ecommerce, as more consumers are going online to buy items. Forbes reports that $224.4 billion will be spent online by the end of 2012, representing a 15.4 percent increase from 2011. With these significant figures, merchants will be putting more focus on growing their businesses through internet purchases.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, November 21st, 2012 at 4:07 am .

One aspect that many retailers focus on is keeping customers coming back into their stores. With the rise of ecommerce, these retention strategies are becoming increasingly important, as businesses are looking to drive their internet sales along with the revenues at their brick-and mortar locations.

According to The E-commerce Report, nearly three-quarters of retailers surveyed said they believe that their customers' experiences on their retail sites can influence whether or not their internet shoppers will return. Companies are using many methods to keep these consumers coming back, with 48 percent saying they offer product bundles and packages that are timely and relevant. Thirty-five percent are doing more in-depth research, by analyzing the cross-channel behaviors of their customers and then providing targeted messages to these shoppers.

These strategies among retailers are expected to continue, especially as ecommerce steadily increases. Internet Retailer reports that according to a recent study by comScore, online retail sales rose by 15.4 percent during the third quarter, in comparison to the same time last year. This accounts for $41.9 billion, up from the $36.3 billion that was spent in 2011's third quarter.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, November 21st, 2012 at 4:07 am .

With just a few days to go, retailers across the country are gearing up for the official start to the holiday shopping season – Black Friday. To accommodate eager consumers, businesses are opening their doors earlier and offering more discounts and deals for the customers who will flood their stores.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects that approximately 145 million consumers will be shopping during Black Friday weekend. Seventy-one million customers will actually shop on those days, while 76 million plan to wait and see what retailers are offering in their stores.

"Though the Black Friday tradition is here to stay, there's no question that it has changed in recent years; already there is a tremendous amount of excitement and anticipation surrounding retailers' Thanksgiving and Black Friday promotions," said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. "It's critical for retail companies to constantly evolve as consumers do, and right now shoppers want great deals, good value, and convenience – exactly what we're seeing with this season's late and early openings, price-matching, layaway, and mobile offerings."

FatWallet reports that this year's Black Friday sales are expected to surpass last year's amount, in which the average shopper spent $398 on items.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, November 21st, 2012 at 4:07 am .

Consumers in the United Kingdom are using their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to complete a variety of daily tasks. This trend is expected to continue into the holiday season, as shoppers purchase items and gifts with their mobile devices.

Internet Retailer reports that according to the IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index, sales made through the mobile channel will reach £920 billion ($1.5 billion) during the first few weeks of December. This represents 20 percent of the £4.6 billion ($7.3 billion) that is estimated to take place online.

"What we are seeing in this 20 percent mobile forecast is a shift in the way that consumers interact with brands online," says Tina Spooner, CIO at IMRG. "While it is still common for consumers to browse the shops at weekends before making the final purchase online at Monday lunchtime, we are increasingly seeing the popularity of 'second-screening,' where people browse on their mobile devices in front of the TV."

Online retail sales are anticipated to keep growing in the U.K. even after the holiday season is over, states Computer Business Review. A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit found that while ecommerce only comprises about 10 percent of retail purchases now, by 2022, nearly a third of all sales in the country will be done online.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, November 20th, 2012 at 6:36 am .

Retailers across the United States are aware of the fact that consumers are increasingly taking to the internet to research, compare and buy products. To accommodate these shoppers, many businesses that did not have online storefronts are now launching their websites and other merchants are incorporating digital elements into their operations to keep their internet-connected customer satisfied.

Brick-and-mortar stores offering ereceipts

Retailers are now offering their in-store consumers the option to receive their sales receipts either as printed copies or by email, reports USA Today. This is being done for several reasons, as more companies want to save paper and money on printing. Additionally, merchants are offering this digital choice so that they can market directly to their shoppers.

The source states that a study by Epsilon revealed that approximately 35 percent of retailers across the country currently send their customers ereceipts if they so choose. Of this number, half provide the option at all of their brick-and-mortar stores. Some of the businesses that have made the move to emailed receipts are Macy's, Whole Foods, Sears and Kmart. Banks are even getting in on the trend, as Citibank and Wells Fargo have said they plan to give their customers the choice to have their ATM receipts emailed to them.

Despite these digital offerings within retail stores, more consumers are going online to buy items. This purchasing trend is being helped by mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, which gives customers the chance to be connected from anywhere and at anytime.

Ecommerce steadily increasing in the US

As retailers continue to increase their ecommerce and digital offerings, even in their brick-and-mortar locations, they are seeking the help that is needed to maintain the systems and solutions they are giving their shoppers. According to recent research by WANTED Analytics, businesses are putting more effort into their websites to feature their products and services, and this is resulting in boosts in hiring of information technology professionals to keep these online storefronts up and running.

The research found that ecommerce hiring has rose by 9 percent in October 2012, compared to the same time a year ago. From October 2010, retail IT employment increased by 40 percent. Some regions are seeing more need for hiring, the report states. These areas include New York, Boston, Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, November 20th, 2012 at 6:36 am .