E-retailer summit study identifies new trends

At the Electronic Retailing Association's (ERA) e-Retailer Summit in March, Forrester Research revealed the results of a study of how consumers navigate the multi-channel world and, when a company offers different channels, how customers use and weigh them up before making a purchase.

The survey of 600+ consumers found that 16% of respondents had purchased directly from television during the past 12 months, and that direct response television (DRTV) also helps to drive sales online.

Key findings
Among Forrester's other significant findings:

• One third of web buyers expect to find lower prices on television than in retail stores;
   
• 44% of respondents said they had been to retail stores to find a product that they saw on a TV infomercial or home shopping channel;
   
• More than one-third of consumers said they would visit a web portal (such as eBay, Yahoo!, or Google) and more than 50% would make a purchase as a result;
   
• Age is not a key factor behind consumers' choice of where to do their shopping;
   
• Infomercials are convenient, but security of TV transactions is a concern;
   
• Home shopping scores better than infomercials for both security and information safety.

Internet and TV combined
According to Brian Cusack of YouTube, because video and social networking have become anchored in today's culture, internet usage is now level with television viewership on a weekly basis, and online video is already reshaping the way consumers consider the world. At the conference, Cusack presented case studies of successful online marketing campaigns including Heinz, MGM, McDonald's and Nature Valley.

Also discussing successful strategies electronic retailers employ to enhance the consumer online shopping experience, keynote speaker Jacob Hawkins from Overstock.com explained several approaches for making online shopping effortless and trouble-free. He emphasized the need for retailers to ensure that their web sites are straightforward, focusing on design and search, as well as making certain that their customer care identifies and eliminates pain.