E-retailing growth will stay strong in Q4, says ERA`s Elissa Myers

Electronic retailing has bounced back from the decline in online shopping after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the prospects for growth through this year are good, Elissa Myers, president and CEO of the Electronic Retailing Association, tells Internet Retailer. “Electronic shopping both online and on TV seemed to recover quickly,” Myers says.

Growth will occur in the fourth quarter Myers believes because consumers want to remain close to home, the diversity of products available on the web has improved, the technology of shopping has gotten better over the past year and the fulfillment problems of two Christmases ago are distant history to most consumers. “Had we not experienced the tragedy we did, we would have seen significant growth this year. Those events mean that growth will now be a little more accelerated,” she says.