For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The State Of Retailing Online 2010: Marketing, Social Commerce, And Mobile

by Sucharita Mulpuru, July 29, 2010

The annual fielding of "The State of Retailing Online," a Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research, asked Web retailers to share levels of interactive marketing spend, effectiveness of social commerce initiatives, and investment in mobile activity. . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: Steve Madden Invests In Mobile Fundamentals

by Sucharita Mulpuru, June 22, 2010

Steve Madden is a designer and manufacturer of contemporary women's, men's, and children's shoes and accessories; its products are available through both Steve Madden-branded stores, the company's Web site, and other retail partners, such as department . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Understanding Shopping Cart Abandonment

Customers Are Often Unprepared To Buy And Stunned By Shipping Costs

by Sucharita Mulpuru, Peter Hult, May 20, 2010

Despite improvements in site design and increased consumer comfort with online purchasing, 88% of Web buyers say that they have abandoned an online shopping cart without completing a transaction. This is the same percentage as five years ago, suggesting . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Higher Prices In Your Stores: OK Or Not?

How Consumers React When Store And Web Prices For An Item Differ

by Sucharita Mulpuru, March 30, 2010

Shoppers have a world of information available to them when researching and purchasing products online. Armed with price comparisons and product knowledge, wise consumers search for the best deals they can get. This behavior, of course, poses a problem . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

US Online Retail Forecast, 2009 To 2014

Online Retail Hangs Tough For 11% Growth In A Challenging Economy

by Sucharita Mulpuru, Peter Hult, March 5, 2010

Amid a global financial crisis, US online retail (excluding auto, travel, and prescription drugs) managed to grow 11% in 2009 to reach $155.2 billion. With a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), US online retail sales are forecast to reach $248.7 billion . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

TechRadar™ For eBusiness And Channel Strategy Professionals: Social Commerce, Q1 2010

Which Social Tools Make The Most Sense For Web Businesses And Why

by Sucharita Mulpuru, February 25, 2010

Forrester's TechRadar is a framework that helps decision-makers prioritize investments in the tools and technologies that underlie a given discipline. Social commerce, which comprises the social technologies that play a role in the sale of products to . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Who Buys Groceries Online And Why

by Sucharita Mulpuru, February 12, 2010

Web grocery continues to be a low-penetration retail category online. Less than 10% of US online adults have purchased groceries online, but those who are doing so are valuable consumers: US online grocery buyers spent, on average, more than $200 more . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Consumer Usage Of Kiosks And Self-Service Checkout Tools

by Sucharita Mulpuru, December 8, 2009

In-store kiosks and self-service technologies are becoming more present in consumers' everyday lives via ATMs and airport check-in and can provide opportunities for cross-channel growth. They're gaining traction in retail, as well. This is particularly . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Adaptive Brand Marketing: An eBusiness Perspective

by Sucharita Mulpuru, November 13, 2009

Adaptive Brand Marketing is a flexible approach in which marketers respond quickly to their environment to align consumer and brand goals and maximize return on brand equity. We expect marketing professionals to embrace this new approach in order to keep . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

US Online Holiday Retail Forecast, 2009

by Sucharita Mulpuru, November 2, 2009

Forrester expects online retail sales to reach $44.7 billion during the months of November and December 2009, an 8% increase over 2008. Despite the lingering effects of the global financial crisis, the online space remains the retail industry's growth . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The State Of Retailing Online 2009: Profitability, Economy, And Multichannel

by Sucharita Mulpuru, October 23, 2009

Although 2008 is generally regarded by retail executives to be one of the worst years ever, online retailers as a whole fared well. In "The State of Retailing Online 2009," a Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research, retailers noted that Web divisions . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

When eCommerce Executives Should (And Shouldn't) Believe Vendor Case Studies

Decision-Makers Need To Distinguish Between Useful Data And Propaganda

by Sucharita Mulpuru, October 9, 2009

Because of the preponderance of point solutions in the online retail world, eCommerce executives are bombarded with numerous vendor-authored case studies that claim to increase a client company's overall performance. Upon closer inspection, however, vendor-authored . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The State Of Retailing Online 2009: Merchandising And Web Optimization

by Sucharita Mulpuru, August 14, 2009

The annual fielding of "The State of Retailing Online," a Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research, asked retailers about their prioritization and success rates regarding more than 50 site merchandising and Web optimization tools. Even though retailers . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How The Best Manufacturer Web Sites Drive Sales (Hint: Through Other Stores)

by Sucharita Mulpuru, Peter Hult, July 23, 2009

Forrester recently conducted a joint study with Channel Intelligence to better understand the role of manufacturer Web sites in consumers' path to purchase. We found that manufacturer Web site visitors are typically brand loyalists with a high intent . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Success In Mobile Commerce Means Asking The Right Questions Now

by Sucharita Mulpuru, July 16, 2009

Forrester recently adapted its methodology for creating a successful social strategy &mdash based on understanding people, objectives, strategy, and technology (POST) &mdash to the mobile strategy space. While Forrester believes mobile commerce . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Multichannel Is Still A Myth For Retailers

Companies Continue To Struggle With Cross-Channel Contact Strategies

by Sucharita Mulpuru, June 29, 2009

Retailers have been striving to provide seamless multichannel shopping experiences in order both to stay ahead of the market in an increasingly interconnected world and to align themselves with consumer multichannel behavior. In a recent report, Forrester . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The State Of Retailing Online 2009: Marketing

by Sucharita Mulpuru, June 5, 2009

This report reflects the 12th annual fielding of "The State of Retailing Online," a Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research. The objective of the study is to collect a series of benchmarks from online retailers that primarily transact in the business-to-consumer . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Trends 2009: US Online Retail

Surviving Companies Must Focus On Quick Wins And Pricing To Grow

by Sucharita Mulpuru, April 29, 2009

While consumer-facing companies struggle to grow in an unprecedented economic climate, Web divisions of these companies continue to garner attention, from both shoppers seeking lower prices and executives looking to lower the cost of transactions. In . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The Tasty Opportunity For Restaurants Online

Online Ordering Has Clear Benefits, But Execution Needs Help

by Sucharita Mulpuru, February 12, 2009

Despite only a few restaurants having Web ordering capabilities, nearly one in three US Web buyers say that they have ordered food online, either through a PC or mobile device. Forrester believes the Web can provide an extremely efficient way to service . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The Emerging Opportunity In Mobile Commerce

Explosive iPhone Adoption Resuscitates An Old Idea

by Sucharita Mulpuru, February 12, 2009

The rapid consumer adoption of the iPhone has encouraged retailers to once again consider the mobile-enabled commerce opportunity. Only 14% of US Web buyers who own a mobile device that is capable of accessing the mobile Internet have used it to make . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Multichannel Experiences Still Need Work

Consumers Report Low Satisfaction When Shopping Across Channels

by Sucharita Mulpuru, February 2, 2009

Superior cross-channel experiences continue to be the goal for most retail executives of multichannel businesses. Yet a recent Forrester survey of consumers highlighted the particularly large opportunity in delivering better customer experiences across . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

US eCommerce Forecast, 2008 To 2013

The Economic Meltdown Guarantees A Slowdown Of Growth In 2009

by Sucharita Mulpuru, February 2, 2009

US non-travel eCommerce sales grew by 13% from 2007 to 2008 and are expected to grow 11% in 2009. These figures represent a significant slowdown in growth from 2007, when online sales were 18% higher than in 2006. Much of the slowdown in growth is due . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Myths And Truths About Online Customer Reviews

Ten Things Online Retailers Should Know About Customer Reviews

by Sucharita Mulpuru, Peter Hult, December 23, 2008

Online shoppers are incorporating social content like customer ratings and reviews in their product research process, and many retailers have fully embraced the strategy. We uncovered five truths and five myths about Web buyers' use of online customer . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Topic Overview: eBusiness And The Economy

by Sucharita Mulpuru, November 14, 2008

The silver lining in the cloud of the global recession is that Web businesses are certain to fare better than their offline counterparts as consumers continue to shift their daily activities online. Forrester analysts have studied the overall effect of . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Shoppers Evolve Online

Examining eCommerce Tenure By Product Category

by Sucharita Mulpuru, October 24, 2008

As Web sales lose steam &mdash online sales in the US are projected to grow 17% in 2008 over 2007 compared with a year-over-year sales increase of 66% in 2000 over 1999 &mdash eCommerce executives struggle to understand the current drivers of . . .