Study: Retailers Look to Improve Web Sites

Las Vegas, According to a study by Shop.org and Forrester Research, 88% of retailers said they would focus their efforts in the next year on improving content presented on product-detail Web pages.

Retailers are also focusing on their homepages by integrating top sellers and “what's new” sections. Companies are also making their Web sites more sophisticated, with dropdown menus and rollover lists in navigational areas.

To differentiate themselves from competitors, online retailers are also making customer service a priority, with 33% of companies planning to invest more in live chat and 53% planning to enhance their guest checkout process within the next year.

The survey also found that retailers recognize the importance of operating in multiple channels and having them work together to deliver the best customer experience. Survey respondents said that 43% of catalog customers have also purchased from their online store and that 35% of online customers have also purchased from their bricks-and-mortar store.

In 2006, online reporters dedicated on average 18% of their marketing spend to cross-channel sales, up from 13% in 2005.