Transactions shifting online from call centers at multi-channel retailers
Shoppers at multi-channel merchants are buying more through web sites, with sales shifting online from call centers, according to the 2006 Abacus Multi-Channel Annual Trend Report. During 2005, 25% of direct sales for multi-channel merchants were conducted via web sites, up from 20% in 2004.
However, customers still prefer the mail-order channel, with 51% of households ordering via phone, mail or fax, Abacus found. Household purchases from the mail-order channel dropped 5% from 2004, while the proportion of dollars and transactions generated via the web grew 19% and 17%, respectively, year-over-year.
The average transaction size for web sites also surpassed those for catalogs for the second year in a row—$116 versus $102, respectively, according to the report. The average retail transaction size saw little change at $174.
Shoppers in rural locations, where there are limited numbers of stores, made most purchases through call center/mail-order transactions (65%) and online (35%), Abacus found. That compares with 45% and 35%, respectively, for urban areas.
Overall, total sales and transactions for multi-channel merchants increased 14% in 2005, up from a 10% increase in total sales in 2004, according to Abacus. The increase was driven by the purchasing activity of 62 million households of 90 million households surveyed by Abacus that made about 257 million purchases totaling $31.3 billion via direct channels in 2005. Abacus is a division of DoubleClick Inc.
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