As the global economic downturn continues, retailers selling products on the web are changing their internet marketing mix and taking a multi-pronged approach.

This is the view of Scot Wingo, chief executive of ChannelAdvisor, who told eMarketer that retailers are becoming more cautious about how they spend their web marketing budgets.

He said they are putting more emphasis on conversions and looking for ways to turn clickthroughs into sales, as well as seeking greater exposure to make sure they have a presence in as many places as possible.

"A lot of these channels weren’t that important to retailers because they were getting enough walk-by traffic. But now that consumer behaviour has changed and consumers are checking in multiple places," he explained.

Mr Wingo also said that retailers are focusing on search and other "measurable" internet marketing activities, while pulling back from display ads.

Meanwhile, a new report by European Union consumer commissioner Meglena Kuneva has revealed that online shopping is becoming increasingly popular in Europe.

The proportion of consumers buying at least one item on the web increased to 33 per cent in 2008, up from 27 per cent in 2006, while in countries such as the UK, France and Germany the figure rose to more than 50 per cent.

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