Online Retail News

Shop.org is launching today a multi-part initiative to engage the industry in examining how retailers are integrating all things “digital” into their business structures.

The National Retail Federation, in partnership with its member companies, today announced the launch of the Integrated Mobile Initiative (IMI), a first-of-its-kind, initiative that will serve as the single source for information about the challenges and opportunities that exist within mobile retailing.

According to the 2012 Social and Mobile Commerce Study, a joint research project by Shop.org, comScore and The Partnering Group, the visually-appealing social media site Pinterest has become a big player in an even bigger arena, with online U.S. consumers reporting that they already follow an average of 9.3 retail companies on the site, compared to the average 6.9 retailers they follow on Facebook and the 8.5 retailers they track via Twitter.

Shoppers are willing to interact with retailers through a variety of social networks and retailers have limitless opportunities to capitalize on the momentum, according to the 2011 Social Commerce Study, a joint research project by Shop.org, comScore and Social Shopping Labs.

According to “The State Of Retailing Online 2011: Marketing, Social, and Mobile” report conducted by Forrester Research Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) for Shop.org, 91 percent of retailers currently have a mobile strategy in place or in development (up from 74 percent a year ago).

According to Shop.org's latest State of Retailing Online report, nearly three-quarters (73%) of retailers surveyed are already sending merchandise abroad from their home country’s distribution center.

Shop.org today announced the addition of 11 new members to its Board of Directors. The newly-elected Board members, who will each serve a two-year term, will meet later this month at Shop.org’s Annual Summit in Dallas, TX. Shop.org is the digital division of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade group.

Brand loyalty proves to be quite strong in the latest STORES Media Favorite 50 Online Retailers survey, conducted by BIGresearch and published in the September issue of STORES Magazine.

More than half of online retailers surveyed for Shop.org’s State of Retailing Online reported they were more profitable in 2008 than 2007. Many also think their web business will actually fare better than expected in the next 12 months.