Technology: Flexible, bendable, profitable

Now that the Internet has revolutionized how consumers view retailers—increasing customer expectations for service, product selection and interactivity—online merchants are placing more demands on technology, Aberdeen Group Inc. says in its January 2007 report, “Clicks to Customers Benchmark Report: The Real ROI in B2C eCommerce.” “Merchants expect their technology to flex, bend and meet their complex needs and become profitable in short order,” Aberdeen says. Following are technology findings from the report. Aberdeen defines best-in-class as retailers that excel in key performance metrics, such as visitor-to-sales conversions from 8% to more than 25%.