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Christmas planning starts in July for e-commerce sites

It may only be July, but Christmas sales are on the minds of many retailers as they prepare for the most important time of the year. In many instances, the holiday season accounts for more than half of the year`s sales. This is especially true for those companies doing business online. Overall, online retailers saw a 24 percent increase in sales in 2004, while growth through 2005 is projected to achieve another 22 percent jump. Last year, online sales accounted for 6.5 percent of total retail sales, up from 5.4 percent in 2003. In 2005, online sales are expected to account for 7.7 percent of total retail sales. On average, it takes 90 days to plan, develop and launch a new online store. Retailers should plan on taking 60 days to complete a major overhaul and to re-launch an existing store. That`s why many have already begun preparing for the online holiday shopping rush. Whether your plans include building a new online store or overhauling an existing one, there is still enough time to prepare for the upcoming holiday season.

"So, how do you start the process of building or redesigning your online store for the holidays? Start by shopping the competition," said Greg McNeil, President of e-Business Express, a Twinsburg-based e-commerce development company. "The great thing about the Internet is that detailed information on the competition is only a click away. Review the top selling sites in your industry by observing their overall look and feel, ease of navigation and anything used to help close the sale."

Information on sales volume, monthly visitors, average tickets and conversion rates is also available through the Internet Retailer Magazine. By learning from online sales leaders in your industry, you will be able to quickly select the best capabilities for your own online business. McNeil says there are four elements that make up a strong e-commerce Web site, and it all starts with the basics.

"If people can`t find what they`re looking for, it`s useless," McNeil said.
"According to a recent study by the Neilson Norman Group, only 33 percent of searches done using a specific site`s search tool succeeded."