The View From Here

By Melissa Campanelli

About Melissa

Melissa Campanelli is the editor-in-chief of Target Marketing's eM+C brand and Retail Online Integration, a monthly print magazine, website and e-letter (The ROI Report) that's all about the integration of sales channels, including print/catalog, transactional websites and retail stores, as well as email, mobile, social media and more.

Prior to becoming editor-in-chief of eM+C, Melissa spent ten years at DM News, where she was first a senior editor and then deputy editor. She's also a leading expert in small business e-commerce and author of the books "Entrepreneur Magazine's Open an Online Business in 10 Days" and "Start Your Own e-Business."

15 Minutes Ahead

Tearing Down the CRM Barriers

Aug 5, 2010

In networked CRM, there's no tightly defined “conversion path.” Instead, every social media touchpoint serves as a point of entry,...

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Engagement Matters

A 'Back-to-Business' Email Optimization Checklist

Sep 2, 2010

Back to school is also back-to-business time. Set aside a few hours this final week of summer to freshen up...

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Ways of Thinking

A Facebook Fan is $136 in Lifetime Value, $3.60 in Media Impressions

Jun 29, 2010

The lifetime value of a Facebook fan is about $136 to top brands, according to this study on Facebook fan...

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Redefining Performance Marketing

Affiliates: Redefining the Original Performance Marketing Channel

Aug 26, 2010

As the original performance marketing channel, affiliate marketing has been effectively driving performance-based sales since the mid-90s. But the characteristics...

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Inside Mobile Marketing

Researching the Mobile Marketing Opportunity

Aug 12, 2010

Mobile marketing is a case in point: A forthcoming Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) survey of U.S. advertisers and...

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Conversations

Outlook for Online Retailers: Sunny, With a Chance of Rain

By Melissa Campanelli | Posted on June 18, 2009

On the surface, a walk through the show floor at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in Boston, which ran June 15-18, would make even the dourest economist smile. With a reported 5,000 attendees and more than 350 exhibitors, the show was the first one I attended this year that felt like a “real” trade show. I saw lots of online and offline retailers and catalogers walking around, discussing Web design, social networking, site navigation, the mobile Web and other online-related matters. I also saw many packed sessions and many smiling, busy vendors. Was this 2009 or 1999? But beneath all of this good feeling was the fact that the gloomy economy was still top-of-mind for most attendees. Many said that while they were there learning about the latest trends, they were still struggling, hoping to break even at year’s end. Others were more hopeful, stating that while their sales were down, their profits were holding steady and they were positive and upbeat about the year ahead. During a presentation on June 16, Gian Fulgoni, chairman and co-founder of comScore, added a bit to the doom and gloom. He noted that while online retail sales were up 2 percent between both January 2009 and January 2008 and February 2009 and February 2008, they were down 1 percent in March, flat in April and down 4 percent in May. Overall numbers are flat. But Fulgoni had some good news. E-commerce, for example, clearly continues to outperform brick-and-mortar stores in disposable income-driven product categories, such as sporting goods and fitness merchandise; books and magazines; and music, movies and videos. What’s more, he said, 74 percent of consumers say they’re likely to shop online before making an offline purchase. So the weather forecast is mixed. But there's no denying the real energy on the trade show floor. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Companies Mentioned:

Internet Retailer

Sections:

E-Commerce

COMMENTS

Most Recent Comments:

Leslie Linevsky - Posted on June 22, 2009
Hi Melissa,
It was great meeting you over drinks in the lobby of the Westin. I do agree with you ... the energy at the IRCE conference in Boston was fabulous. Such excitement. I couldn't get over the attendance numbers. As far as the doom and gloom aspect, we found at Catalogs.com that a tremendous amount of interest was shown from marketing executives and presidents of companies. People are trying to find new channels to market their brand and services while simultaneously being cost effective and cognizant of ROI. All in all, we walked away with several "signed contracts" and many more potential leads. Savvy marketers realize that this is the time to CAPTURE market share and not to stop advertising spending. Those companies that pull back altogether will probably not weather the storm. Consumers will continue to buy products. It's simple: Keep your name in front of consumers and profit from their spending, or disapear from the consumer's radar and your ship will be sunk.
Leslie