SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - October 6, 2010) - Mercent™, a leading provider of on-demand marketing solutions for retailers, today announced results of its 3Q10 Mercent eCommerce Performance Index™ (MEPI) -- a quarterly eCommerce industry growth report that measures aggregate year-over-year (YOY) same-seller gross merchandise value (GMV) across online sales channels supported by the Mercent Retail™ channel management platform.
According to the 3Q10 MEPI, same-seller GMV for Mercent's portfolio of Tier 1 brand name retail clients increased by 37% relative to the same period in 2009. Same-seller GMV for merchants participating in Amazon's "Selling on Amazon" marketing program through Mercent Retail™ increased in the third quarter by 42% YOY. Google Product Search continues to demonstrate rapid market acceleration among competing online retail advertising programs, contributing same seller year-over-year growth of 106%.
The quarterly increase in same-seller GMV across the broad range of online channels supported by Mercent is attributed to the popularity of high-growth eCommerce channels that include Amazon.com and Google; a healthy 'back-to-school' selling season; and a recovering economy which is helping to increase consumer confidence and overall spending. This quarter's results marked the sixth consecutive growth quarter for Mercent retailers, with 2Q09 being the quarter of lowest reported growth since the company first initiated the Mercent eCommerce Performance Index in 4Q08.
According to Eric Best, CEO of Mercent, "The retail industry experienced steady eCommerce sales in the third quarter against increasingly strong July, August and September 2009 comparables. Online commerce remains a consequential growth opportunity for retailers competing in an improving but still challenging sales environment."
Other 3Q10 MEPI highlights:
- Same-seller gross merchandise value (GMV) growth on Amazon remains strong. Mercent observes accelerating interest and adoption by Mercent clients in Amazon's Checkout by Amazon (CBA) and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) programs; and the emerging role of Amazon's Webstore platform in enabling social commerce for large Tier 1 retail brands. Mercent anticipates Amazon's increased fulfillment capacity combined with its Prime and 'Subscribe and Save' programs will also serve to deepen Amazon's reach into the mass market consumables category.
- At present, Google retail advertising formats are the fastest growing channels for Mercent's client portfolio. Mercent saw Google same-seller GMV growth in the third quarter of 106%. Google is rapidly gaining market share through key retail programs that include Google Product Listing Ads, Google Affiliate Network and Google Product Extensions to Adwords. Complementary to this, Mercent anticipates the company will revisit its checkout and payments strategy over the next six months.
- eBay remains an important channel with growth in line with e-commerce averages, but largely lagging in comparison to Amazon and Google. The highest performing programs for Mercent clients on eBay include eBay's Daily Deal and new merchandising capabilities, including the updated product detail pages announced in the third quarter.
Best continued, "Solid eCommerce growth in the third quarter has set a sound foundation for the 2010 holiday shopping season and we believe the retail community can expect online sales growth to range between 15 - 17 percent over 4Q09. This is even better news for Mercent's client base, a portfolio of more than 150 Tier 1 brand name retailers who continue to experience sales growth that significantly outpaces eCommerce analyst expectations and industry forecasts."
Mercent eCommerce Performance Index™ Methodology:
The methodology for the Mercent eCommerce Performance Index comparison matches all prior studies and reports retail transactions driven through Mercent's network of online shopping and advertising channels, including comparison shopping engines (CSEs), third-party seller marketplaces, and affiliate programs. To ensure continuity and to eliminate artifact associated with new customer ramp, the Mercent eCommerce Performance Index only references retailers live on the Mercent Retail platform prior to and during the entire reported term. Information regarding Mercent Retail shopping feed management technology, Mercent Performance marketing services, and the complete list of online marketing channels in the Mercent Shopping Network are available at www.mercent.com.
About Mercent
Mercent is a leading provider of online channel marketing technology and services for retailers. Through its award-winning Mercent Retail™ SAAS technology and Mercent Performance™ professional services, Mercent helps the world's most successful online merchants including 1-800-Flowers, Bass Pro Shops, Brookstone, GUESS?, L'Occitane USA, Redcats Group, and REI optimize online shopping channel marketing campaigns to drive customer acquisition, revenues, profits, and inventory velocity. Mercent is the single point of integration with a vast online advertising network that includes transactional marketplaces such as Amazon.com and eBay; comparison shopping engines (CSEs) such as Shopping.com and NextTag; affiliate marketing programs such as LinkShare and the Google Affiliate Network; and other product advertising channels including Microsoft Bing Cashback and Google Product Listing Ads (PLA). The company is a 'Selling on Amazon.com' Certified System Integrator, Buy.com Gold Certified Partner, eBay Certified Provider, certified Google Product Search Partner. Founded by a seasoned team of Amazon.com veterans, Mercent is a venture-funded company based in Seattle, WA. For more information, visit www.mercent.com.
Contact Information:
Mercent PR Contact
Kristine Szarkowitz
Tel: 206-832-3900