I've been a daily reader of InternetRetailer.com for quite a few years now.  They tend to update their news page at least 4 days per week, and they often have insightful and up-to-date information on trends and metrics.  Last week I came across a post so interesting that I actually emailed the link to myself so I wouldn't forget to make a blog post about it.

The article I'm referring to at InternetRetailer.com is titled "Online shoppers will return to socialize, survey finds," and was published on 4/15/2008.  Apparently, a web consulting firm called Guidance and a market research company called Synovate did a joint study to see what pattens emerged when shoppers had "social features" at their fingertips in an online retail environment.  Let's dig into a few of the statistics posted and see where this study indicates Ecommerce success can be enhanced further with user-driven interactivity.

Viral communication is one of the Internet’s most powerful features. What I mean by viral communication is a web site that encourages its visitors to invite other people to visit it. Through visits and referrals the site gains momentum and publicizes itself . . .

This morning I came across a fascinating article from a French web site at lemonade.fr that had a wonderful illustration of global social network usage trends. While I can’t read French at all, the map speaks for itself . . .