The IRCE 2009 was bustling with etailers and vendors alike, although the majority of people we spoke to felt that the numbers were significantly lower than previous years. Khalid and I arrived in Boston late Sunday evening and rushed our way down to the exhibit hall Monday morning to set up and then up to the ecommerce workshops to consult with online retailers. It was a busy Monday morning, and the entire stay was eventful and quite eye-opening.

Khalid and I both felt that the retailers sitting at our tables during the website consultations were engaged and interested. Website clinics are really a big hit because online retailers are given actionable items to implement and consider optimizing on their website.

Observations during website clinics:

I had an interesting mix of individuals sitting at my table:

• Those still did not have an online store but were hoping to persuade upper management.
• Those who had just launched their online store.
• Those who had been online for 10 years but had a lot of optimization work to be done.
• Those who felt they knew everything they needed to know about online optimization.

Each group had their own set of worries and obstacles they needed to tackle in order to continue improving their websites. Overall we had excellent conversations. Online retailers benefit tremendously from website clinics.

Once the clinics had concluded, we made our way to the exhibit hall and that is where we spent the rest of our time at IRCE. It was my first time exhibiting, so did not anticipate the pain and aches to come.

I made quite a few observations about etailers and their vendors during my experience

All the retailers that passed through the aisles at IRCE exhibition halls fell into 3 MAIN categories

1. The ones who make a conscious effort NOT to make eye contact with vendors. They either:

• Are not interested in anything because they don’t have the budget.
• They are not decision makers in the company.
• They like to do things in-house for ecommerce store and just come to the conference for ideas.
• They think their company is doing very well as is.

I must say, it is tedious to keep saying hello and stop at every vendor. But similarly, if you are an etailer at IRCE, the wealth of opportunities to grow and expand your company are tremendous and available. Ecommerce is at the cutting edge in so many different areas, and during tough times, you need to stay current and distinguished.

2. The ones who don’t make eye contact with vendors but still say a quick hello:

• They will not talk to you unless you catch their eye and ask them a question.
• They may ignore you but take a quick glance at your display (and possibly come back if a message touches a nerve).
• They are looking for solutions, but also hesitant for one reason or another (maybe financial).

3. The ones who are actively searching for solutions and will take time to stop at different booths to get information and figure out what is best for their company.

Retailers could choose from over 350 vendors displaying at IRCE this year. The exhibit hall was massive. In retrospect, I can understand when an attendee doesn’t want to respond because when you have over 1000 people saying hello and how are you today, it wears you out! I made me rounds around the exhibit hall, and it’s tough to keep that smile and talk to everyone that’s trying to grab your attention in some way, shape, or form.

The majority of ecommerce stores are aware of conversion rates in general terms

• There is a wealth of information out there that etailers are still unaware of. Many were floored by sessions that were still at a very basic level.
• There is always the assumption that if sales are good so no need to do anything further.
• Very few online retailers have deployed conversion optimization or online testing whether or not they realize the benefits it can bring to them.

Numbers are down in general

• You feel the recession at the conference because numbers are down and people are afraid to engage vendors usually because of financial issues.
• Every conference we have attended thus far, numbers are lower. That doesn’t mean that competition is subsiding, it is only confirming the fact that the online retailers that don’t do MORE, will be getting less.

Certainly IRCE offers a little of something to every online retailer. Statistics are pointing to a large percentage of online retailers that want to get an edge through various marketing and merchandising techniques that will enhance the user’s online experience. This can only mean that those retailers avoiding on contact may be missing out on great opportunities to grow.

Your turn:

• Did you attend the IRCE 2009?
• What were your thoughts?
• Did you like any of the sessions more than others? Did you hate any of the sessions?
• What did the guys at IRCE do well? What could IRCE do better?