Forrester Research Inc.

Corresponding with the growing number of mobile users among shoppers, retailers overwhelmingly agree mobile must be the No. 1 priority for their digital business in 2014. According to the 2014 Shop.org/Forrester Research State of Retailing Online survey, which surveyed 70 retailers in October and November 2013, more than half (53 percent) marked mobile efforts as a top priority, identifying responsive design, mobile site optimization and tablet redesign among key focus areas. 

To capture and capitalize on mobile traffic growth, retailers are eagerly looking for ways to optimize their digital marketing campaigns across various devices. As a result, top investment priorities include a few tried-and-true favorites: email and paid search. According to the Shop.org/Forrester Research study, The State Of Retailing Online 2013: Marketing & Merchandising, nearly nine in 10 (87 percent) online retailers surveyed either already have implemented or are planning to implement mobile email optimization in in 2013, and seven in 10 will optimize paid search for smartphones and tablets (71 percent and 73 percent, respectively). 

Aquent, a global staffing organization dedicated to marketing, creative and digital professionals, yesterday announced the results of its study, Planning for Mobile Marketing Success Through Smart Staffing, commissioned with Forrester Research. The study found that demonstrating the return on investment of mobile marketing is the top concern of marketers planning to grow marketing programs. In addition, marketers indicated a struggle with accurately staffing for mobile campaigns. In fact, few organizations have a full-time employee dedicated to driving mobile marketing initiatives.

As shoppers become increasingly connected, online retailers in 2013 will get back to basics, focusing on strategies and tactics to improve the customer experience and increase web conversion and loyalty across all devices. According to the 2013 Shop.org/Forrester Research Inc. State Of Retailing Online survey, more than half (51%) of retailers surveyed say their top priority for 2013 is site optimization, including checkout optimization, alternative payments, user experience, testing, and product detail page enhancements.

Despite the buzz on the exhibit floor at Shop.org's Annual Summit in Denver yesterday, retailers remain prudent in their mobile financial investments, according to the 2012 Shop.org/Forrester Research Inc. State Of Retailing Online survey that was released here.

There's every indication that during the 2012 holiday season tablets will be as important a shopping accessory as low-interest credit cards. According to the 2012 Shop.org/Forrester Research State of Retailing Online survey, 49 percent of retailers say their average order value from tablet shoppers is now higher than traditional web sales. And nearly three in 10 retailers say they're seeing about the same average order value from tablets as their website.

Among uneven retail numbers this year exists a bright spot that has been growing for years, and is leading companies to overhaul their traditional business models: the online retail market.

For retailers that relied heavily on online sales for holiday business, this time of year brings up an issue many prefer to avoid: online returns. If you haven’t given much thought to your company’s returns policy, you may be missing a golden opportunity.

The number of marketing e-mails being sent to consumers continues to increase, finds a recent survey. U.S. retailers and wholesalers will send 158 billion marketing e-mails this year, a number likely to grow 63 percent to 258 billion in 2013, Forrester Research predicts. But the increase in volume hasn’t translated into an increased reliance on testing. According to Internet Retailer’s survey of 174 Web-only retailers, chain retailers, catalogers and consumer brand manufacturers, conducted last month with e-mail marketing and survey firm Knowledge Marketing, 52.9 percent of respondents do not test their e-mail campaigns. Here’s a look at some more of the survey’s findings.

Taking the stand that many companies’ customer service capabilities are lacking, a webinar on the state of customer service in North America focused on how to buck the trend and provide customers with superior customer service. Below are nine of the most usable tips for multichannel merchants offered by Don Muchow, senior solutions consultant at eGain Communications, a software provider for multichannel customer service and knowledge management, and Chip Gliedman, vice president and principal analyst for market research firm Forrester Research, from the event that was co-presented by Muchow’s firm and CRM magazine. 1. Meet consumers at the channel they choose, Muchow said. If