Although for many 2010 has been a financial struggle, the success story of the year was Internet shopping, with plenty of sectors experiencing record-breaking results. The retail market is expected to continue to expand at a rapid rate throughout 2011. 

The New Year is a vital time to question the outcome of the predeceasing year, and look at ways to improve for the year ahead. Here are my top ten questions that every business needs to ask in 2011, and key ways to maximise online retail opportunities.
 
1. Review your Christmas results against last year – look for traffic levels, buy rates, volumes of sales – does that indicate that your Estore performance is improving? If not, it is crucial to ask yourself why.

2. Does your Website still appeal to an audience in 2011? With so many advanced features now available, are you using any of them? Commissioning an independent review of your website may provide some insights into remaining relevant and contemporary.

3. Did you use email as effectively as you’d have liked last year? Past customers are usually an excellent source of future business, so a good email strategy is well worth putting together for 2011. 

4. Are you using new social media to untap new opportunities? YouTube, blogs, Facebook and Twitter are proven to generate sales if they are tackled in the right way.

5. Are you making use of all potential channels to market? Product listing sites are well worth exploring to expand your estores reach and increase visibility. 

6. Have you worked out the most beneficial time to invest in marketing your website? Is your business seasonal? If so, ensure you time your spend accordingly.

7. Are you competitive? Price will continue to be a key part of the buying decision in 2011 with the imminent VAT increase and consumers will still searching for the best deal.

8. What is your competition doing? Are there more/less competitors now than there were this time last year?  Are they more of a threat?  If, so what are you going to do to make your business stand out?
 
9. Is your product range as extensive as it could be? What is likely to be in demand in 2011? Thinking forward is vital to remain relevant and keep

10. Are you gathering customer reviews and showing them on site? With the growing emphasis placed on 3rd party reviews across the web, this will be an increasingly vital part of selling online in the future.