The survey, by Scene7, part of Adobe Systems Incorporated, was based on the responses of 347 companies. The businesses represented a broad cross-section of product categories and selling channels, such as retailers, manufacturers, agencies and high tech companies world-wide. Conducted between November and December, 2007, the survey sought to identify what online businesses planned to do to enhance their consumer experience, especially given the rise in the popularity of social media tools.

It was also found that mobile commerce, URL/widget sharing, personalised messages and user ratings were set to be high growth areas.

The research follows a study from Microsoft which underlined the importance of having a professional website. The research found that 56 per cent of customers are more likely to use a small business if they have a professional looking website and email address. Indeed, the impact on sales held by a company’s website is staggering; 92% of consumers say that they would check a business’ website before deciding whether to purchase goods or services from that company.

"With online commerce growth rates predicted to decline, companies that continue investing to differentiate themselves and deliver compelling user experiences can gain market share over their competition," said Doug Mack, vice president of consumer and hosted solutions at Adobe. "Rich and innovative applications enable businesses to further engage customers with more personal and compelling online experiences, which can ultimately increase conversions and revenues."

It was also found out that companies will use click rates as a measurement for evaluating the new functions while qualitative feedback and revenue levels are important indicators of effectiveness.

Dee Roche, Head of Marketing and Strategy at Transversal, providers of eService solutions for customer-facing websites, is surprised that it has taken so long for some businesses to realise the commercial benefits of an interesting website.

"Businesses that only think of their website as a shop window aren’t so much missing a trick, but missing the boat. The potential for improving the online customer experience has come a long way, and for companies fully embracing it, it has become a key differentiator. One of the most effective ways of making your site stand out from the dross - and there are a lot of poor web sites out there - is by encouraging interaction and personalisation. Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogs, web self-service, wikis and participating in social networking sites, give organisations the ability to radically change how they interact with their customers and this is a great platform for differentiation."

The implementation of Web 2.0 technologies on sites has seen the rise in a number of trends such as social shopping. For many, listening to the customer is key to a successful online retail operation.

"Without doubt there are areas that will see dramatic changes in shopping patterns as the consumer word of mouth goes from something ad-hoc to a more public, structured activity. Store reviews, product reviews, shared wish lists, blogs, personal recommendations, social network groups and store widgets on profile pages all show that consumers want and expect to be more involved in the future," said Matthew Tod, Chief Executive of digital consultants, Logan Tod.

"How retailers embrace this shift in marketing and the loss of control of the marketing message will be defining in who the major retailers in the next decade are," he continued.

The full report can be downloaded here: https://www1.scene7.com/registration/2008_survey.asp? emaillist=Survey_2008_homepage

[Disclosure: Transversal is represented by Rainier PR, writer Tim Hoang’s other employer. Other companies were polled for comments, but Transversal came up with the most interesting response.]