From NRF - The State of Retailing Online Report 2013

The State of Retailing Online 2013 launches! 

We're excited to announce that the results of the first survey of the State of Retailing Online 2013 study were released on January 13, 2013 as part of the First Look track at the NRF BIG Show.  Covering metrics and key initiatives for retailers in 2013, the report findings help retailers benchmark their online business and highlight areas of focus in e-commerce this year. 

To learn more or to participate in a future SORO study later this year, please contact Fiona Swerdlow, Head of Research at Shop.org.   

 

Key Take Aways from the Report:

Key eCommerce Metrics Continue To Grow
On average, the web retailers surveyed in Forrester and Shop.org’s annual The State of Retailing Online study saw growth of 28% in 2012 over 2011. The majority of retailers also responded that the following key site metrics improved in that same time frame: site conversion rates, average order values, and the percent of sales from repeat shoppers.

Key eCommerce Metrics Continue To Grow
On average, the web retailers surveyed in Forrester and Shop.org’s annual The State of Retailing Online study saw growth of 28% in 2012 over 2011. The majority of retailers also responded that the following key site metrics improved in that same time frame: site conversion rates, average order values, and the percent of sales from repeat shoppers.

Mobile sales are Growing particularly Rapidly
While Forrester’s mobile commerce forecast figures show a minority of eCommerce sales (less than 5%) coming from phones, the retailers that responded to our survey said that, on average, they experienced a 129% lift in year-over-year sales from smartphones and a 178% lift from tablets.

Mobile has a net positive impact on Retailers’ Conversion Rates
Th irty-six percent of the retailers surveyed said that mobile sales and traffic have helped their company’s overall web conversion rate, while 29% of the retailers said that mobile sales and traffic have decreased their overall conversion rate.

Site optimization is The Key investment area For 2013
Retailers say that their top priorities in 2013 are improving their site’s conversion rates and redesigning their site experience -- in other words, optimizing their site’s overall performance. Many retailers specifi cally called out plans to focus on the checkout experience and to adjust their site to accommodate a responsive design framework.

Click here for the Table of Contents & Figures.

Click here for more details on the report and how to obtain a copy

NRF Report: Election 2012 in review: The impact on retail

 

 

 

NRF Report: Election 2012 in review: The impact on retail

By Craig Shearman, VP, Government Affairs PR |

November 7, 2012

After $6 billion in campaign spending and a barrage of political ads in an election that hinged largely on jobs and the economy and which will impact a wide variety of public policy issues important to the retail industry, Americans woke up this morning to a familiar government. President Obama won a clear victory over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, with a 50-48 percent lead in the popular vote and a total of 303-206 electoral votes, but voters left Congress divided.

While some news organizations reported slightly conflicting numbers this morning, the New York Times said Republicans retained their majority in the House 232-191 while Democrats remained in control of the Senate 52-45. Some races remain undecided but are not expected to affect the majority in either chamber.
While Obama’s win was decisive, it was built on slim majorities in just a handful of battleground states, and Obama is the first president reelected since Woodrow Wilson with a smaller margin in the Electoral College than his first-term election. Out of more than 120 million votes cast, the final margin of victory hinged on fewer than 360,000 votes in Florida, Ohio, Iowa, and Virginia.
As a status-quo election, it is difficult to discern a clear message from the results. The narrow nature of Obama’s reelection margin suggests more of a validation of his campaign strategy than a vindication of his first term policies, and House and Senate leadership are likely to return to familiar scripts in the next session of Congress.
Down the ballot, Senate Democrats defended their majority thanks to strong recruits in open-seat races and a series of self-inflicted wounds among Republican Senate candidates.

...Read the complete article