ECommerce tool helps retailers gauge their progress

The eCommerce Benchmark was recently launched in cooperation with the eCommerce Foundation. The benchmark is a free online evaluation tool that allows retailers to anonymously compare their online selling activities with competitors' results.

"Talented commercial professionals have long sought and appreciated benchmark and comparative data to improve their eCommerce performance,” said Ian Jindal, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Internet Retailing in the U.K. “Benchmarking data has to date been expensive to collate and access, so we welcome the launch of this tool.”

The benchmark will measure four distinct business divisions: channel, financial, internal and innovation. The information provided by the benchmark can be used by retailers to improve marketing campaigns and enhance online offerings to customers to reap a higher return on investment.

For example, online retailer Shop Direct Group could use the benchmark to compare its high sales numbers from the past Christmas shopping season to figures from its competitors, and design campaigns for the new year based on those results.

Shop Direct was one of many online retailers to enjoy strong holiday sales. Its sales during the six weeks prior to December 31, 2011, were 9 percent higher than the same time in 2010, and online revenues were up 20 percent and accounted for 74 percent of all holiday sales. The retailer attributed the growth of its online store to the convenience of ecommerce sites that allow purchases at any time of day.