Point of sale (POS) data has long been the domain of the retailer that collects it. It hasn’t always available – in detail, anyway – to manufacturers and suppliers that could use the data for such things as demand planning, improving supply chains to avoid stock outs and to better understand and act on buying habits so they can more accurately allocate advertising dollars. Of course, all those benefits would in turn benefit the retailers, which could improve planning and forecasting, reduce (or eliminate) stock outs, and even have leverage to enact and enforce service level agreements with suppliers.

If the tail-end of 2011 is any indication of ecommerce’s role in retail in 2012, then the mandate has been set: ecommerce is a critical retail channel that companies must strategically cultivate in order to succeed in this new economy. That means optimizing supply chains, integrating systems, and automating processes, ensuring consistency among product data, continually focusing SEO efforts, leveraging social media, actively embracing mobile commerce and of course, delivering exceptional customer service seamlessly across all channels.

As ecommerce continues its upward growth, more and more merchants are considering and leveraging drop shipping, in which manufacturers or distributors handle and ship orders directly to the end customer. The benefits are clear: there are lower inventory costs and less risk, since retailers don’t have to stockpile inventory that might not sell.