At retail brick-and-mortar locations, sales associates and managers have the chance to approach customers and see if they need help with their purchases. This helps to give shopping at physical storefronts a more personalized touch, as consumers feel more valued and appreciated. However, when merchants also operate ecommerce websites, they are not able to offer this kind of service. Fortunately, there are certain components that internet retailers can use to ensure effective service is provided, such as live web chat and click-to-call options. Failing to include these aspects can cost businesses significant amounts of revenue as well as decreases in customer retention and loyalty.

Consumers expect efficient online service
According to a recently released study by LivePerson, 83 percent of consumers surveyed stated they need support options when they are shopping online. Among the most popular forms of online service are live chat, with 57 percent of respondents preferring this offering, click-to-call at 34 percent and video chat with 7 percent.

In addition, the research revealed there are three key factors that shoppers are looking for online. Being able to have their issues resolved quickly was the main component with 82 percent of responses, while 56 percent said resolving service problems with one interaction was most important. Having friendly and engaging conversations garnered 45 percent, the study found.

“With consumers becoming more adept and familiar with digital channels, they have come to expect the same levels of help and customer service as they would in a physical store,” stated Jeremy Sokolic, senior vice president of marketing for LivePerson “To drive conversions and really impact customer loyalty, online businesses need to be able to derive insights from consumer behavior, identify the type and level of engagement that consumers require, and respond accordingly.”

Improvement also requires customer-centricity
Besides offering online service options such as the ones listed above, Ecommerce Bytes writes that internet retailers must also put more focus on customers and incorporate their feedback frequently into websites. In addition, the source recommends that developing easy-to-use processes for internet shoppers helps streamline the browsing and purchasing transactions. Having too many confusing elements can lead to consumers turning to other sites to find the products they want. The source writes that providing the most effective service through the internet will require hard work, and web retailers need to be willing to put in the effort to see the best results.

At retail brick-and-mortar locations, sales associates and managers have the chance to approach customers and see if they need help with their purchases. This helps to give shopping at physical storefronts a more personalized touch, as consumers feel more valued and appreciated. However, when merchants also operate ecommerce websites, they are not able to offer this kind of service. Fortunately, there are certain components that internet retailers can use to ensure effective service is provided, such as live web chat and click-to-call options. Failing to include these aspects can cost businesses significant amounts of revenue as well as decreases in customer retention and loyalty.

Consumers expect efficient online service
According to a recently released study by LivePerson, 83 percent of consumers surveyed stated they need support options when they are shopping online. Among the most popular forms of online service are live chat, with 57 percent of respondents preferring this offering, click-to-call at 34 percent and video chat with 7 percent.

In addition, the research revealed there are three key factors that shoppers are looking for online. Being able to have their issues resolved quickly was the main component with 82 percent of responses, while 56 percent said resolving service problems with one interaction was most important. Having friendly and engaging conversations garnered 45 percent, the study found.

“With consumers becoming more adept and familiar with digital channels, they have come to expect the same levels of help and customer service as they would in a physical store,” stated Jeremy Sokolic, senior vice president of marketing for LivePerson “To drive conversions and really impact customer loyalty, online businesses need to be able to derive insights from consumer behavior, identify the type and level of engagement that consumers require, and respond accordingly.”

Improvement also requires customer-centricity
Besides offering online service options such as the ones listed above, Ecommerce Bytes writes that internet retailers must also put more focus on customers and incorporate their feedback frequently into websites. In addition, the source recommends that developing easy-to-use processes for internet shoppers helps streamline the browsing and purchasing transactions. Having too many confusing elements can lead to consumers turning to other sites to find the products they want. The source writes that providing the most effective service through the internet will require hard work, and web retailers need to be willing to put in the effort to see the best results.

When developing mobile strategies for customers, retailers may put most of their focus on creating options for smartphone users, as many people now carry the gadgets with them everywhere they go. However, attention also needs to be put on tablets, as consumers are increasingly using these devices for shopping purposes.

Internet Retailer reports that research from CoffeeTable revealed that between the third and fourth quarters of 2012, retail purchases made on tablets jumped 11 percent. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2011, that figure comes to 37 percent. The study states that the rise in use of tablet devices for buying products really took off last year due to the holiday shopping season, as many consumers didn’t want to visit stores in the cold weather and instead bought their gifts online from home using their tablets.

This trend is expected to grow significantly in 2013, according to Econsultancy. Retail industry experts believe that merchants will see a large boost in the number of customers who use the devices to access their websites and purchase merchandise. For this reason, it is essential that businesses develop mobile strategies that include tablet site optimization and options for consumers.

It’s a shopping trend that has been gaining a lot of traction over the past few years, and in 2013, ecommerce is expected to increase significantly. This will come from the large number of retailers offering online purchasing options, as well as consumers’ preference of using the internet to browse for and buy products.

Internet Retailer reports that according to Shop.org, ecommerce retail sales are forecasted to grow between 9 percent and 12 percent this year, when compared to 2012’s totals. The expected figures come from last year’s results, which saw an 11 percent increase from the previous year in internet retail sales. It is also anticipated that online sales totals will surpass those gathered by brick-and-mortar locations, as customers prefer the convenience and speed of web transactions, the source notes.

One aspect that could help drive the significant growth of ecommerce sales in 2013 is personalization, according to ShopSafe. The news source writes that businesses will be putting more effort into creating engaging and interactive online experiences for shoppers based on their preferences and needs, which will help boost customer satisfaction and contribute to a rise in retention and loyalty rates.

Retailers have been steadily implementing websites over the past few years to accommodate customers who prefer to go online to browse for and purchase products. These merchants have seen that web platforms are a great source of revenue, and they also serve as effective tools for increasing shopper satisfaction and retention. However, sites sometimes go down, and this can cost retailers money as well as lost customers.

Online retail giant Amazon.com recently experienced downtime of its site on Thursday, as Internet Retailer reports that the company’s page was out for approximately an hour. While not all Amazon components were impacted, such as Web Services, online shoppers were not able to access main pages to view and buy products. The cause of the outage was not immediately known, reports the source, but it affected many customers who perhaps went elsewhere to search for wanted items.

To avoid these types of situations, retailers will want to ensure their sites are able to get back up and running following an outage, writes Retail Gazette. The news source recommends that merchants develop strategies to combat worst-case scenarios. In addition, pages need to be constantly monitored for any potential threats.

While shopping online does provide a significant amount of convenience for consumers, there is one elements that ecommerce does not offer – the ability to try on or test out products. Retailers in the United Kingdom are seeing a large number of returns from web shoppers, and they are having a difficult time fighting this trend.

Information Week reports that businesses throughout the U.K. are having to process merchandise returns of items bought online, as consumers are not pleased with the products they purchased and choose to send them back. Analysts state that between 25 percent and 50 percent of items paid for on the web are sent back to retailers, and companies are also dealing with a large influx at the time of the year due to people returning gifts they received during the holidays, the source notes.

So how can merchants reduce the number of returns they are experiencing? Biz Report suggests that businesses incorporate more visual elements into their websites. Giving shoppers the option of seeing products with a 360 degree spin as well as 3D imaging will help them make more informed purchasing decisions and result in fewer returns for companies.

For retailers that maintain a website in addition to brick-and-mortar locations and for merchants that operate solely online, 2013 will be a good year, as ecommerce sales are expected to significantly increase.

Internet Retailer reports that research from Alibaba Group found that almost half (49 percent) of web retailers surveyed stated they will be creating new sites and features this year to attract online customers and drive sales. One aspect that companies are looking to offer in 2013 is free shipping on purchases, as 14 percent of respondents said they will provide this element for shoppers. They will join the 42 percent of internet merchants who already have free shipping options. Other factors businesses are considering in 2013 are importing new products, developing mobile websites, expand their offerings globally and opening new physical storefronts, the source notes.

All of these components will help to drive the expected growth of ecommerce sales this year, which the National Retail Federation anticipated will be between 9 percent and 12 percent when compared to 2012. Consumers will be going online in larger numbers in 2013 to browse for and purchase retail products.

Despite the slow economic recovery that the United Kingdom is currently facing, one bright spot that is helping to boost retail sales throughout the country is ecommerce. Consumers are increasingly going online to browse for and purchase products, and these online shopping behaviors are expected to continue in 2013.

Internet Retailer reports that a study by Capgemini revealed that by the end of this year, ecommerce is forecasted to jump by 11.5 percent from 2012’s totals, accounting for £87 billion ($138 billion). Last year, purchases made through the internet in the U.K. reached approximately £78 billion ($123.7 billion). The research also found that over the past 12 months, retail sales made through smartphones and tablets increased by 304 percent, meaning that mobile commerce will play an important role in the growth of ecommerce over the next year, the source notes.

The U.K. holiday season saw a large amount of ecommerce transactions, writes Internet Retailing. A large number of retailers throughout the country stated they experienced a significant jump in purchases made through the internet, as consumers went online to buy products and services for the gift-giving time of year.

There are a variety of methods that retailers use when marketing their products. As more consumers go online to buy from brands, merchants are now turning their attention to digital marketing techniques to attract shoppers to their sites. One strategy that seems to be working for businesses is paid search advertising.

This tactic involves paying to have brands’ products and goods advertised on popular search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. According to a recently released report from Kenshoo, retailers across the United States saw a 23 percent increase year-over-year in revenues driven by paid search in 2012. Of the clicks generated by paid search advertisements, 20 percent were through mobile devices, which is more than triple the amount in 2011.

“Smart retailers capitalized on increased online consumer shopping activity this past year by proactively creating product-level search campaigns and optimizing them throughout the holiday season,” said Aaron Goldman , chief marketing officer at Kenshoo.

Forbes offers some other suggestions for thoselooking to improve their online marketing strategies. The source recommends that businesses take the time to see things from the customer’s point of view, especially the purchasing decision. In addition, merchants need to ensure they offer exceptional customer service for online shoppers, or else risk seeing declines in consumer satisfaction and retention.

The rise of mobile commerce over the past few years has gotten the attention of retailers. But there is still a significant number of merchants thathave not implemented mobile components into their operations, despite the fact that a majority of consumers now own smartphones or tablets.

Besides the prevalence of retail sales made through mobile devices, shoppers are also using their gadgets to browse for and compare different retail products, Internet Retailer reports. Research from Harris Interactive revealed that 45 percent of consumers use their mobile tools to research various goods. In addition, 67 percent of respondents stated they check their personal emails on their devices, meaning that retailer can take advantage of this behavior and send out relevant messages to shoppers.

However, it seems as though many businesses are ignoring the growth of mobile commerce, states Tech Vibes. A study by Skava found that only 7 percent of retailers have developed websites that are optimized for smartphones and tablets. If merchants want to stay competitive and bring in more business, they will need to incorporate mobile elements into their operations to accommodate device-carrying customers.