Online retailers plan to focus heavily this year on improving customers’ checkout experience and focus less on home page improvements, according to a survey released in July by Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Association.

The survey, conducted by Forrester Research Inc., polled 117 retailers. Eight out of 10 retailers (79 percent) said enhancing the checkout process was at the top of their to-do list for the remainder of the year, with 90 percent of medium-sized retailers (those with $10 million to $100 million in sales) listing checkout as a main property.

According to Shop.org, the largest initiative in this area appeared to be an emphasis on shipping, especially in increasing the transparency around shipping charges to reduce shopping cart abandonment. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents said they plan to provide more shipping information within the next year, including when a customer can expect to receive their package and when products have left the warehouse.

While online retailers are increasing their focus on checkout, the number who said they plan to concentrate on improving their home pages is down from previous years. According to Shop.org, this is because retailers have learned that many shoppers bypass the home page altogether by using shopping search engines, which often direct consumers to specific pages on a retailer’s website. As a result, Shop.org said retailers are focusing on enhancing the images on product detail pages and investing in search filters.

The details of the survey are published in Shop.org’s “The State of Retailing Online 2009: Merchandising Report,” which can be purchased here. <HOME>