| |
|
|
|
Seeweekly news
|
2005-11-17 |
|
|
ShopLocal Debuts Web Shopping Knowledge Center |
ShopLocal, LLC, the leading provider of Web shopping services for retailers and other local businesses, announces the debut of the Web Shopping Knowledge Center, a source for expert information on Web shopping trends, as part of the new ShopLocal, LLC corporate Web site
( http://www.ShopLocalLLC.com ). In addition to the official functions of
offering background on ShopLocal news, events, and products (including
SmartCatalog, SmartCircular, and The ShopLocal Network featuring
ShopLocal.com), the site's Web Shopping Knowledge Center provides access to
educational tools such as new research, expert bylines, and industry data.
These new resources are part of the company's ongoing effort to help retailers
improve their "Shopability"; that is, to fully utilize the power of the Web to
forge relationships with customers wherever they shop, whether in-store or on
the Web.
Visitors to ShopLocalLLC.com can click "Web-to-Store" to access the Web
Shopping Knowledge Center. Currently, the site features white papers such as
Web-to-Store: Understanding Online and Offline Consumer Shopping Attitudes,
Behaviors, and Expectations from consumer behavior expert Sue Larrison of
Larrison Communications, Inc., as well as two studies from The Dieringer
Research Group: the ShopLocal Web-to-Store Study and the newly released Mid-
term 2005 Web-to-Store Benchmark Survey. The latter, a follow-up to last
year's survey, continues the discussion of how Web-to-store shopping
(researching online before buying offline) is altering the shopping landscape
-- and how online marketing efforts impact in-store sales.
For example, according to the Dieringer Research Group, despite the hype
surrounding the growth of pure e-commerce spending, in the 4th Quarter of 2004
Web-to-store spending outpaced online spending. And more than 70 percent of
those surveyed indicated they are using the Internet to make local store
decisions more in 2005 compared to last year.
Additional findings from the Mid-term 2005 Web-to-Store Benchmark Survey
include:
-- An estimated 84.3 million US consumers made offline purchases impacted
by online information in 2004, up 19 percent from the previous year.
-- 48 percent of those surveyed said they expect to do more Web-to-store
shopping in the coming year, versus 34 percent who said they expect to
use the Internet more for online purchases.
-- During the 4th Quarter of 2004, Web-to-store shoppers believe they
saved eight hours of shopping time by using the Internet.
-- Also in the 4th Quarter of 2004, $400 was spent at local stores after
conducting online research versus $250 spent directly online.
-- Nine out of 10 shoppers indicated they purchased extra products at
local stores in addition to the products researched online.
-- Two-thirds of Web-to-store shoppers believe that online information is
somewhat or much more important than other types of shopping
information, when making the decision of where to buy locally.
"To truly measure how the Internet is changing shopping, one must consider
the Web-to-store shopper," says ShopLocal founder and CEO Brian Hand.
"E-commerce is important, and with our new consumer site we help retailers
connect with customers that want to buying online, but in many instances,
people still want to see, touch, and experience a product in person before
making a purchase. This new research shows quite clearly that successful
retailers must take a 360-degree look at the shopping universe. Because the
shoppers of today demand choice."
ShopLocal leverages more than six years of knowledge managing and hosting
local promotional content for retailers of all sizes, including many of the
Top 100 retailers in the country. And because ShopLocal's content comes
directly from retailers, information is always up-to-date and geographically
relevant. Owned by Tribune Company, Gannett Co. Inc., and Knight Ridder, Inc., ShopLocal delivers an expansive online and print network to help connect shoppers with thousands of
retailers. ShopLocal is the only site that provides a 360-degree view of the
shopping landscape -- from the boutique store down the block, to the chain
store that just opened across town, to e-commerce options from hundreds of
other retailers. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
