US e-commerce sales 'to be flat in 2009'

E-commerce sales in the US will fail to see growth this year, according to a new forecast.

Research firm eMarketer predicts that online retail sales will fall by 0.4 per cent in 2009 as a result of the continuing effects of the recession.

This comes shortly after the company commented on figures from Forrester Research and Shop.org showing that e-commerce sales rose by 11 per cent in the first three months of 2009.

According to eMarketer, the e-commerce sector will rebound in the years to come, with online sales expected to rise from $133.6 billion (£88.5 billion) in 2008 to $203.5 billion by 2013.

Jeffrey Grau, senior analyst at eMarketer, called on internet retailers to look for new ways of catching consumers' attention during the current downturn.

"Online retailers that can fill the void with superior customer service, rich product information and greater shopping conveniences have a chance to win new customers for life," he stated.

One way in which e-commerce firms could attract new customers is by implementing product reviews and ratings on their sites - according to Opinion Research Corporation, 84 per cent of US consumers have been influenced in a purchasing decision by other customers' reviews.

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