In a recent blog post of mine, I mentioned that Forrester had launched the Retail eCommerce Playbook. This playbook provides a structured framework to guide eBusiness professionals through their most strategic initiatives in eCommerce – from creating a vision to benchmarking results against peers.

It’s not a secret that consumers are constantly connected to the Web and it’s having a huge impact on how they research and buy products in every sector. As such, it is imperative that eBusiness executives have the appropriate tools and knowledge to execute a strong web presence that not only showcases their brand but also enables shoppers and store associates to research and buy. We crafted this playbook to address all the key elements of success. This playbook will help you:

• Discover the importance of a best-in-class eCommerce business by providing eBusiness executives with insight into the opportunity for eCommerce, its growth trajectory, and the current landscape that retailers face as they continue to navigate this channel.
• Plan to deliver retail eCommerce excellence by determining which features and functionality are most critical to success and what metrics are most effective for measuring a strong channel presence.
• Act effectively to deliver retail eCommerce success by providing overviews of the eCommerce technology stack, the vendors that best help support those goals, and the organizational best practices that drive success in best-in-class eCommerce companies.
• Optimize for continued eCommerce growth by laying out the most critical benchmarks as well as addressing new and emerging components of eCommerce strategies, such as responsive design and "mobile first" initiatives that take into account the evolving landscape of devices and Internet connectivity.

If you are not sure where to start, I suggest reading the executive overview: “The Art And Science Of Retail eCommerce” to get a better sense of what this playbook will cover. If you have any feedback, please let us know. Playbooks are meant to be constantly evolving based on what best serves our client’s needs.