Business survey : Shopatron, Retailers Hesitant To Work With Brands That Sell Direct

San Luis Obispo, CA, June 24, 2013– Last week, Shopatron announced the findings of its 2013 Retailer eCommerce Study, showing again that retailers are turning away from brands who compete with them for sales by selling direct online. According to the study, 71% of respondents would stop or reduce spending with brands that started to compete with them by selling direct to consumers.

The annual Shopatron survey provides key insights into the behaviors and preferences of local retail shops. The findings from this year’s survey also indicate that retailers find value in Allied Commerce, with 57% of respondents confirming that they increase their spend with brands that send them orders using Shopatron. This reflects more than a 10% increase over the 2011 survey.

Shopatron’s Allied Commerce model allows manufacturers and retailers to seamlessly leverage the available inventory of every retail storefront and distribution center when fulfilling online orders, eliminating the “channel conflict” that survey respondents verified is a growing concern.

The survey’s findings also shed light on current omni-channel retail trends. Retailers showed a clear affinity for in-store pickup, with 60% of respondents reporting that they would buy more from brands that send them in-store pickup orders. And retailers reported that mobile shopping is on the rise, with 86% observing that customers are now using mobile phones while shopping in stores, most often to compare prices, obtain product information, and check product reviews.

Based on this year’s survey results, local brick-and-mortar retailers are also extending their reach into new online channels. 44% of survey respondents are selling in online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon, and of those, 45% saw a year-over-year sales increase.

“The eCommerce world is changing rapidly, and brands are faced with the challenge of finding ways to sell direct while remaining strong partners with their valued retailers,” said Shopatron Founder and CEO Ed Stevens. “Shopatron was founded with the goal of providing brands and retailers with the tools that will allow them to work collaboratively and create amazing new experiences for shoppers; this survey shows that we’ve done just that.”

The complete findings from the survey can be found in Shopatron’s 2013 Retailer eCommerce Study.

About Shopatron :
Shopatron is the world’s leading provider of cloud-based, eCommerce order management. Our patented Shopatron Order Exchange allows branded manufacturers and multi-channel retailers to seamlessly leverage the available inventory of every retail storefront and distribution center when fulfilling online orders. Unlike legacy order management software or custom-built solutions, Shopatron makes it easy and affordable to deploy advanced capabilities like in-store pickup, ship-from-store, inventory lookup and vendor drop-ship. With Shopatron, retail channels join forces to increase sales, turn inventory, and deliver a superior purchase experience to online shoppers.

Source Press release