"Online sales look set to ride the economic storm and continue to be the place retailers can look for growth," said Capgemini's Mike Petevinos.

The same holds true for service-oriented companies as well. 

Cyber Monday holds potential for all kinds of businesses - but only if they've got a Web presence that surpasses the competition!...

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eMarketer reports that Web-influenced store sales will reach $625.2 billion this year.

That means all the consumers using the Internet to research and services will be prompted to make a purchase in the brick-and-mortar store.

eMarketer also predicts that from 2007 to 2012, online-influenced store purchases are going to grow at about 19% annually!

It's time for brick-and-mortar businesses to get on board and take advantage of what's possible through a Web presence!...

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Multichannel retailers businesses using multiple avenues to reach customers (brick-and-mortar establishments, catalogs, Web sites and so on) have been a common theme in the news these days, and the Chicago Tribune's Inside Retailing reporter Sandra M. Jones has been following comScore's research to provide even more information on the matter.

Jones writes that, according to comScore, Retailers that operate both brick-and-mortar stores and Web sites accounted for 50% of eCommerce sales in the second quarter of 2008.

It took the multichannel guys a while, but now their growth seems to be accelerating, she quotes Gian Fulgoni, comScore's chairman, who added that retailers have also caught on that an interesting and captivating Web site can drive traffic to their brick-and-mortar stores.

Because online growth is far outpacing growth at stores, Jones concludes, it is sensible for retailers to pour more resources into their Web presence.

In this really tight economy, the Internet really shines, Fulgoni said in the article...

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