Like a boomerang cast low over the sands of no-man’s land, online sales spun into a dismal state of abeyance, with the rest of the U.S. economy…and just as the boomerang doesn’t disappoint on the return flight, online sales marked a turning point this past Black Friday with the best gains since 2007.
According to this November 27, 2011 Wall Street Journal article, Black Friday Sales Gains Strongest Since 2007:
Online sales grew 24.3%, according to data from International Business Machines Corp. data unit Coremetrics, reflecting heavy investment by mainline retailers to get more traction on the Web.
Here’s yet another article, via CNET, covering the Black Friday online sales boon: Friday Online Shopping Leaps 26 Percent
While it’s still too early to say everything is fine with the U.S. economy, the news that online sales are hitting new highs, after years of being caught in a sag, is exactly what ecommerce merchants need to hear. Online business in the U.S. took a hit just like many other businesses, resulting in a mass shuttering by businesses who were on the edge of survival. However, ecommerce made it possible for many businesses to flourish, while their bricks-and-mortar industry counterparts went belly up.
The key to success in today’s ecommerce world isn’t just offering the best deal, but being an awesome store that attracts and serves target traffic well. It’s a complex formula, but one that the better online stores have perfected to reach the level of online sales success Black Friday yielded.
It’s safe to say that now is definitely the time to be doing business online, but gone are the days of setting up ecommerce shop for a few hundred dollars and a shake of the dice with SEO. We talk to merchants everyday who wonder why they aren’t getting traffic or sales to their starter stores, and our response is: Ecommerce is almost never turn-key anymore (unless you’re selling product everyone wants and no other merchant carries). To really be a player, even in the little leagues in today’s online business world, it’s going to take commitment and significant investment. To learn more about what it takes to succeed, contact Fastpivot today.
