Patti Reising with KCBS 740AM in San Francisco, California interviews Thomas Harpointner, AIS Media, Inc. CEO, on the topic of online retail trends for the 2009 holiday season. Harpointner discusses strategies retailers must implement in order to re-gain the confidence of recession minded consumers. Harpointner’s comments included:
“Retailers should be nervous this upcoming holiday season — this attrition is not over yet. Although we are beginning to see signs of recovery, retailers need to be able to adapt to consumers who are educated in the products and services they want. Traditional advertising is changing and as retail stores continue to close, ecommerce will have a shift in momentum. Retailers need to embrace that concept and be mindful of the various types of Internet savvy consumers.”
Key points Thomas Harpointner covered during the interview:
- About 143,000 stores closed in 2008– the highest number since 2001. It’s already predicted that 140,000 more stores will close in 2009 and 135,000 will close in 2010.
- Retailers like Macy’s and The Gap –despite losses in brick and mortar sales — have both reported increases in online sales resulting from discounts, online experience improvements, and influx of consumers researching products and incentives online.
- In the last two years, free shipping has been the most sought after promotions more than any other type of incentive.
- Since consumers are spending more time online, retailers are shifting budgets away from traditional media towards Interactive media such as web sites, search engine marketing, email marketing and social networking.
AIS Media has been helping businesses cut costs and increase productivity since 1997. With consultants worldwide, AIS Media assists performance-driven companies implement and manage Interactive strategies. To contact an AIS Media consultant in your area click here.
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