Bad Economic Times Not Stopping Online Retailers From Investing in Ecommerce

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July 27, 2009
By the ZippyCart Shopping Carts Content Team

A recently released report from The E-tailing Group which was sponsored by the Acquity Group indicated that 70% of online retailers surveyed plan to invest the same or more into their e-commerce as they did last year. The economy has had a rough year and this is a very positive sign that indicates long term confidence in online retailing. The study of 25 retailers indicated that, 8% plan no change in how they spend on e-commerce, 36% plan to invest more, and 26% plan to spend about the same amount of money as they did in 2008. On the downside 22% of retailers plan to spend less than they did in 2008 and 8% plan to invest significantly less which is not too bad considering current economic conditions.

One of the most surprising finds on the study was that engaging shoppers via the mobile channel was reported as a low priority for online retailers. An astounding 89% of retailers surveyed say they are not marketing to shoppers via the mobile phone. With the popularity of the iPhone and other smart phones it is interesting that more online retailers are not including mobile devices as part of their overall marketing strategy.

One very positive statistic from the report was that 46% of online retailers are selling and shipping internationally this year, compared with 40% in 2008. International expansion is key to taking your business to the next level and a tactic merchants should look into for their online storefront.