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December 11, 2008
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News about digital retail commerce

Editor's Viewpoint
  • Looking ahead to 2009
     
    Megan Conniff, Lead Editor
    What's coming up next for the e-commerce industry? Part II of this Shop.org SmartBrief special year-end report, below, highlights our predictions and yours for what's in store for 2009. Part I, published Tuesday, looked back at the most important trends and stories of 2008.

    Online retailers are going to focus on more than just fine-tuning their sites in 2009. Customers have high expectations for e-commerce sites, and excellent usability is key. But what will set an online merchant apart? Customers are going to want more pictures, videos, online reviews and multiple payment options, among other features.

    Mobile retail is another area of interest for e-commerce companies. The industry will be watching for the big players to make their first moves in that arena, and all eyes will be on the technology that will help facilitate mobile commerce.

    From a government perspective, online privacy will be the hot issue. Comprehensive online privacy legislation is expected from the new Congress in early 2009. If the FTC's proposed guidelines for online behavioral targeting are an indication of what this legislation will look like, retailers may need to make significant changes to their online-marketing programs and the shopping experience they offer their customers.

    Online retailers will continue trying to monetize social media and the technology's role in interactive advertising. Another area of focus will be customer retention. The slowing growth of new customers coming online requires retailers to focus on getting existing customers to shop more and to increase conversion rates.

    In February, online merchants will gather for the Shop.org Strategy and Innovation Forum in Florida. The main event of the year comes in September, when Shop.org will host the Shop.org Annual Summit in Las Vegas.

    Check below to see what else is on the agenda for 2009.

  Your Predictions 
Which issue had the greatest effect on your company in 2008?
Cross-channel retailing 50%
Social networking 16%
Search-engine optimization 14%
Internet taxes 4%
What issue do you expect will become even more important in 2009?
Online merchandising 35%
Mobile retail 25%
Search-engine optimization 14%
Rich media 0%
Will your company spend more or less money on interactive marketing in 2009?
More 71%
Less 28%
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