Results of the consumer survey show increasing reliance on internet as part of a multichannel shopping experience. Also, those who shop mostly on the internet are the higher Christmas spenders.

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Overall online spending in 2008 reached record levels for each individual month (IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index).  UK shoppers spent over £4.67 billion online in December. This represents an equivalent of £76 for every person in the UK, an increase of 14.2% on December 2007. This growth comes despite the peak internet shopping weekend being on 29th and 30th November.

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There are more and more people getting fed up with the intensity of the negative press on retail. OK so it is certainly tough at the moment, but a lot of these retailers than have gone under have been stugggling for years.  Speaking to our own customers before and after Christmas, the vast majority have had as good as or a better period than last year. None that I have spoken to have had it worse than expected due.

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With little growth forecast for 2009 we can expect tougher times on the high street. So what is an independent retailer to do? One approach is to batten down the hatches and hope the cold winds of recession will pass over keeping fingers crossed for survival. An alternative, more proactive approach is to use this time to make the business stronger, more efficient and better equipped to deal with the changing competitive climate in the years to come.

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Up-selling and cross-selling are established methods of improving sales and increasing customer loyalty. Up-selling is the practice of offering customers a product in addition to the product they are currently purchasing. Cross-selling refers to selling items that are related or can be integrated with the item being sold. Both techniques can increase sales volume and provide a valuable service to your customers.

A common barrier to up-selling and cross-selling is motivating staff to do it. Computer systems can track ‘average customer spend’ or ‘average number of articles purchased’ and provide reports by sales person.

Average customer spend should have an upward trend and some retailers will constantly look for ways to improve this figure. Up-selling is one of the main ways. Measuring average customer spend regularly for each staff member can identify training needs and allow managers to operate target driven incentive schemes. If the sale of big ticket items gets in the way of this, it may be possible to run the reports only on accessory ranges.

Another method retailers are using is ‘average number of products sold’. It works on the basis that incentivizing staff to sell one more item is better than a looking at average spend. It doesn’t matter how much the additional item sells for, the result in increased profit can be significant. Some feel this approach is easier for the staff to get to grips with, it helps them be creative about what to add on to the sale and gives better value for the customer who has purchased matching accessory that they had not considered.

The advice for retailers wanting to improve their eCommerce performance in 2009 is to focus on the  long tail and measure visitors and conversions, not how high the rankings are for a few trophy phrases.

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