PETALUMA, CA — (Marketwired) — 08/28/13 — MarketLive, the leading provider of eCommerce technology for high-growth merchants, today announced results of their mid-year Performance Index report. The mid-year analysis of eCommerce metrics shows that MarketLive customers saw a 15 percent average increase in revenues during the first half of 2013, easily out-performing the industry forecast of 9-to-12 percent (Shop.org/NRF 2013 annual forecast).
In addition to the 15 percent average year-over-year (YOY) revenue increase so far this year, MarketLive customers also experienced:
increased visitor traffic (+10.9 percent)
increased visitor-to-buyer conversion (+5.8 percent)
decreases in abandoned carts (-1.2 percent)
decreases in abandoned checkouts (-3.0 percent)
decreased home page bounce rates (-17.0 percent)
These across-the-board positive results demonstrate the ways in which MarketLive-s Insightful Commerce technology can help online retailers compete effectively even in an eCommerce environment often dominated by Amazon.
“Our customers rely on MarketLive for insights to help them constantly meet market needs,” said Ken Burke, founder and Chairman of MarketLive. “As this Performance Index shows, the world of eCommerce is growing ever more complex. MarketLive continues to improve the levels of insight we provide retailers, so we can help them be more effective in converting customers and growing revenue. This year, we think there are best practices in mobile and tablet, in particular, that will help our customers perform effectively during the holidays.”
In this latest edition, MarketLive-s Performance Index also includes a spotlight analysis of mobile and tablet trends, showing tablets leading the way:
33 percent of all traffic to customer websites during 1H 2013 came from mobile and tablet devices
tablet traffic grew 3X faster than smartphones
tablet revenue grew 8X faster than smartphones
At the growth current rate, mobile and tablet traffic is expected to account for almost half of all website visits within the year.
At a high level, eCommerce success increasingly depends upon making real connections with consumers as quickly as possible before a competitor diverts their attention. Shopping on multiple devices further drives this need to engage immediately. The lesson is “make each visit count.” Beyond the hard metrics, MarketLive recommends that retailers focus on these key areas:
1. Think beyond the home page — Search engines often land consumers on pages other than the home page. So every page on the website needs a strong message and clear navigation.
2. Get suggestive — Demonstrate your domain expertise by suggesting related products and alternative solutions.
3. Incorporate quality content — Photos, videos, great copy and -how-to- features work together to rank highly on search engines and to ensure that customers keep coming back.
4. Optimize checkout flows — Upgrading to a single-page, accordion checkout has shown impressive results for MarketLive customers, with some posting improvements of 10 percent and more.
5. Embrace multiple devices — Have a roadmap for continuing to improve the customer experience from mobile.
6. Get empirical: analyze & test — Each visit counts. Replace guesswork and unproven hunches with analysis and testing.
MarketLive-s Performance Index reports activity across the entire MarketLive customer base and includes aggregated traffic, site engagement, commerce metrics, and key performance indicators in six market sectors where data is available (apparel & footwear, beauty & health, housewares & furniture, brand manufacturers, brick & mortar, and catalog).
Retailers who are interested in the Performance Index report should contact .
Since 1995, MarketLive, Inc., has been the leading provider of eCommerce technology and services that help fast-growing companies successfully sell goods and services online. Designed to meet the unique requirements of catalogers, retailers, direct marketers, and manufacturers, the extensible MarketLive® eCommerce Suite and MarketLive-s best practices-based Intelligent Selling® methodology enable merchants to enhance their customers- experience online while dramatically improving acquisition, conversion, and retention rates.
The MarketLive platform is the most retail-targeted, fully featured, customizable eCommerce solution on the market today. MarketLive powers many successful retail eCommerce sites, including Armani Exchange, Party City, Perricone MD, Sport Chalet, Sundance, Helzberg, John Deere, Title Nine, Intermix and others.
For more information, visit MarketLive at .
Renee Newby
Rocket Science PR, for MarketLive
Office: +1 415 464 8110 x213
Mobile: +1 757 651 6554
Email:
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