A new study from Internet Retailer and the Vovici Corp illustrates that—even in a tight economy—retailers plan to spend more on their e-commerce environment in the coming year with a strong focus on social marketing applications. The study reflects what DecisionStep is also seeing in the marketplace.

As a possible indication that more retailers understand the necessity of building a superior e-commerce experience to remain competitive, more than seven out of 10 respondents to the survey said they planned to spend more on advanced e-commerce applications, such as video, blogs and advanced search. Among those advanced applications, by far the largest percentage (49 percent) of respondents said they planned to spend more on social marketing technologies (e.g., ShopTogether). (more…)