With the holiday buying season heating up, a large number of online retailers have shifted their marketing focus away from television and print ads in favor of targeted online marketing programs and are taking greater steps to keep their customers happy, according to a survey released today. The third-quarter findings are based on responses from 94 online retailers, according to Shop.org. Seventy percent said they had redesigned their Web sites to improve navigation or include holiday-specific content.
Online marketing is by far the preferred medium.
Elaine Rubin, Shop.org's chairman, said the number of online retailers that have agreed to share marketing lists and enter into co-branding partnerships has also increased. When asked about the likelihood that online retailers will repeat last year's shaky product shipment performance, Rubin said increased experience and investments in improving order fulfillment systems should help reduce delivery snafus. But some of the top e-commerce Web sites already appear to be feeling some heat in the face of the holiday rush. Someone's stalking your directory. Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved.