Despite the slowdown in the economy, online retail sits in an interesting spot. In fact, a MediaPost blog article goes as far to say that “innovation and e-commerce are looking impervious to economic ravages, at least, for now.” Internet spending for Valentine’s Day was up almost 8½% more than last year Рreports Retail Decisions. The growth in U.S. unique visitors to online commerce sites rose 7% in January , 2008, compared to the same period in 2007. Online retail growth is averaging 21% so far this year, compared to 5.4% growth for offline retail.
Now for the interesting stuff…
A March news story from Internet Retailer reports “Retailers strive for a better customer experience.” We’re sure that online customers are keyed into this as well. If retailers are placing more emphasis this year on upgrading the usability of their online stores, then staying ahead of the competition takes on a new level. In addition to improving online usability, it has become important to add online functionality and use rich Internet applications to improve the customer experience.
What does this mean to you?
Planning for an optimal Christmas no matter what the economy needs to start now. The drive for more usability coincides with increased spending on technology and methods for measuring how well web sites are supporting a better online customer experience. Increased spending this year is planned for web analytics, customer satisfaction surveys, and usability labs.
Is it time to:
- Creatively or strategically refresh your site?
- Add more interactive features, like registries or reviews?
- Add rich imaging?
- Add social networking, such as page links to Facebook or Digg?
Not sure? Start with a Baseline Health Analysis of your site to see where you ”rank” with those who land on your site, as well as your competitive market.
Indeed, Christmas is coming – time to make your list and check it twice.
