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The economy is forcing web retailers to change their marketing tactics, in order to acquire and retain customers, according to findings from, The State of Retailing Online 2009, the 12th annual Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research Inc. The survey of 117 online retailers also found that while the number of companies focusing on customer retention has nearly doubled in the past year, many retailers see the recession as an opportunity to capture market share from weakened competition.

While Internet sales continue to outpace traditional retail sales, companies are realistic about current challenges. According to the survey, half of respondents expect overall retail growth to slow during the next 12 months, and 57 percent acknowledge the economic slowdown is hurting their company's bottom line. That said, companies are bullish about web operations. Four out of five retailers think the web is better suited than other channels to withstand the recession, and one third say the downturn has enabled them to capture greater market share. Illustrating the resilience of the web, retailers report that their conversion rates continue to hover between three and 3.5 percent, as they have for years.

"Retailers everywhere are trying to get their arms around a pullback in consumer spending, and online retailers are no exception," said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. "Online retailers are trying to weather this economic storm by doing more with less, making smart spending decisions, and leveraging effective, affordable tactics such as email to grow their businesses." Under pressure from the economy, nearly one third of companies are spending less than originally planned on web retail operations this year. Among retailers cutting costs, 88 percent will scale back hiring and staffing plans. Slightly more than half will spend less on search. Others see the economy as an opportunity to increase market share, and are charging ahead with new initiatives.

Almost half of retailers surveyed have no plans to cut back original budgets, and will spend as planned on their web business, while one in four retailers will spend more on their web business than originally planned. Companies planning to spend more will increase investments in several areas. Eighty percent will invest more on search, 65 percent will beef up emailing, and 60 percent will invest in social marketing.

Despite the focus on customer retention, many retailers, primarily multichannel retailers, say their efforts at customer acquisition will be higher this year than last year. But for those retailers that operate primarily online, customer retention, which has historically been a distant second goal for this group, is now critical. According to the survey, a majority of retailers (88 percent) list email as a high priority for the year, largely to retain customers. Almost three quarters plan to send segmented emails to customers based on stated preferences or purchase data. In addition, more than half will use emails that highlight new product availability, and extend invitations to participate in surveys or garner customer feedback; and 53 percent feature online only promotions.

"Because consumers continue to spend online, interactive marketing spending to drive web sales remains a lucrative investment," said Sucharita Mulpuru, Forrester Research principal analyst and author of the report. "While other retail channels struggle, ecommerce managers have a unique opportunity to drive more sales and test different tactics that resonate with consumers."

Article ID: 1139