Focus on Web 2.0
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Internet Driving In-Store Sales
The ShopLocal Index, a market indicator designed to track the influence of the Internet on in-store shopping, reported that its retail index was up 45 percent in March compared with the same period last year. (ShopLocal.com is a website that gives shoppers information about items on promotion by retailers and includes store circulars and specials, etc.)
ShopLocal.com executives said that due to the economy, consumers were using the Internet more both to look for online deals and to make their store trips more productive. Department store and mass merchant stores were the big winners in March, posting an 80 percent increase on the index, which ShopLocal.com says was boosted by an early Easter which in turn drove increases for apparel and accessories.
As the Internet becomes ever more ingrained in how consumers shop, online retailers must continue to ratchet up the performance levels of their sites. It's all about the experience, and creating that experience takes a dedicated focus and appropriate investment in the right online technologies and services. This month's Executive Issues offers some ideas to do just that.
Publisher
sblack@apparelmag.com