“Rising Above—Not Just Surviving—The Economic StormWhen a market is growing at 25%, you don’t have to be great to succeed. But when the market grows at 10% or even less, the challenges to success multiply. Those who want to succeed must keep their focus, invest wisely and take a long-term view of where the market and consumers are heading.
Today’s economy offers online retailers challenges—and opportunities—that did not exist a year ago. When online suddenly faces the same constraints that all retailing is subject to, the competition for consumer dollars increases exponentially. Chains will be turning their focus—and their huge resources—to the Internet. Established web-only merchants will fight to preserve and grow their bases. Catalogers will seek to leverage their remote selling experience into new areas. And consumer product manufacturers will look for ways to squeeze costs out of their distribution systems by ramping up their direct-to-consumer online initiatives. ![[]](http://www.searchmarketingstandard.com/wp-content/themes/sms/images/entry-end.gif)
