Shoppers not making it to the checkout

In a recent article at the Associated Press, they discuss how the number of items left behind before the check out has risen. As many customers are thinking twice before checking out, up to 25% of them leave items either before or at the checkout. The numbers of abandoned carts online have risen too, from 47-53% over the past seven years up to 59%. Not only does this result in less revenue earned, but also gives more work to the already low staff levels at stores. Read the full article here.

Online shoppers going straight for webpages

According to a new study done by Mark Simpson, MD, many online shoppers don't use a search engine when going to make a purchase from their favorite websites.

They also found that:
• 82% of respondents have abandoned their shopping basket in the last year
• 69% of respondents would not go back to a website if the purchasing process had been unsatisfactory
• Marketers and Consumers alike are unable to identify what makes a good website and what makes a bad website
• 63% of respondents now know the web address of their favorite websites, rather than having to use a Search Engine

Read more about the study here.

Online consumers spending less time shopping

According to Digital Media Traffic, UK users are shifting their time online from shopping to new media in the forms of Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. According to the article, consumers in the UK spend 8.6% of their time on line shopping while spending 9.8% of their time using social media. The article suggests that retailers should shift some of their marketing to new media efforts. What do you think about this?

Linens n' Things Drives Consumers to their Website

Interestingly enough, it seems as if Linens 'n Things will not be closing shop anytime soon. According to this post on RetailWire discusses how the brand has been revitalized through its brand new website (www.lnt.com) which carries over 200,000 top brand products for the entire home with items in baby, bath, bedding, home décor, kitchen, and many more. Will we see trend of increased online shopping across different retail industries?