Offline retailers without an online presence are missing a critical piece of the marketing puzzle – web hosting provider explains. They are essentially allowing substantial amounts of money to slip through their fingers into the waiting hands of their more savvy competitors. With online and offline stores competing fiercely for every dollar in a soft economy, there is no room for marketing mistakes that leave dollars on the table. Simple put, an online presence drives offline sales.

Online shoppers have become “precision shoppers,” who take full advantage of the wealth of resources online to evaluate products, compare prices and to determine where an item may be purchased.  “Today, online consumers think nothing of shopping across a retailer’s stores, Web site and catalog,” said Jeffrey Grau, Senior Analyst for eMarketer. “As a consequence, online product research is driving more in-store sales than online sales.”

Last year alone, eMarketer estimated that store sales influenced by online research totaled $471 billion. Retail e-commerce sales were $136 billion. So for every $1 in online sales, the Internet influenced $3.45 of store sales.

According to the “eHoliday Mood Study” conducted by Shop.org after last year’s holiday shopping season, 63% of US online buyers made their holiday purchases in two or even three retail channels. According to eMarketer estimates, combined Web-influenced store sales and retail ecommerce sales accounted for 15% of retail sales in 2007 and by 2012 the percentage is expected to nearly double to 28%.

If you are a brick and mortar retailer owner and haven’t launched your online presence you’re not behind the eight ball yet but there’s not a minute to waste according to web hosting provider. “The majority of multi-channel retailers still have work to do to resolve organizational and IT issues that stand in the path,” said Grau.

Your first step is to find a superior web host who can guide you through the process. Do NOT launch a site until all of the bugs are worked out. Online buyers are notoriously unforgiving when they have bad experiences online. Not only will you lose the sale, you will most likely lose that customer permanently.

Web hosting provider lists problems that annoy online consumers:

1. Sites that don’t include enough information about a product (online buyers like to see detailed pictures, size charts, measurements, etc.)
2. Outdated websites. Nobody really wants to see a Christmas tree theme on a web site when they are shopping for beach towels for their June vacation.
3. Complicated checkout process. You work hard to get customers to your site and sell them something. Don’t make the checkout process so complicated that they simply give up. Keep the process as short as possible.
4. Forced registration. Shoppers value their privacy. If you must have registration on your site, place it at the end of the purchase process when customers are likely to be more agreeable to having an account.
5. Confusing information about shipping rates. Studies show that 57% of the shoppers who abandon their online shopping carts do so because of excessive or confusing shipping rates.
6. Limited payment methods. Offering as many payment options as possible allows your customers to pay with an option most suited to their needs. Letting your customers know which payment options are available up-front improves conversion rates and reduces shopping cart abandonment.

Let’s face it. Having an online presence has gone from “value-added” to absolutely essential for retailers who aim to glean the most from their marketing dollars. The right web host can guide your business seamlessly into the World Wide Web. So what are you waiting for?