With the 2007 holiday season ending, new statistics have been published revealing the comfort level of consumers and their online shopping habits. Not only have consumers increased their ease with shopping online, but also their comfort with online advertising.

In the past holiday season, the comfort levels consumers displayed with rich online advertising were greater than ever before. Consumers increased their interaction with online advertising, converting over from these ads into sales. One of the greatest indicators of a sales conversion is related to how long a customer interacts with an ad; the longer the interaction, the higher the probability the interest will turn into a conversion.

Capitalizing Upon Consumer’s eCommerce Ease

What does this mean for your business, either online or brick and mortar? For any business operating online, the increased comfort level of consumers shopping and viewing ads online brings tremendous potential for revenues. Whereas the internet economy was initially embraced by a targeted segment of the population, it has now grown into mass acceptance. Whether you own a strictly virtual business, or one that is supplemented by a brick and mortar establishment, tapping into the tremendous potential of internet commerce is made significantly easier with joint ventures.

Understanding the Potential of Joint Ventures

Both small and big businesses can profit from the power of joint ventures. Traditionally, Fortune 500 companies engaged consistently in joint ventures, ranging from research to marketing efforts. However, with the power of the internet, small and mid-sized businesses can benefit from joint ventures just as easily.

One of the most popular forms of joint ventures online is affiliate marketing. Growing tremendously in revenues and profits, affiliate marketing has become its own ecommerce industry, spreading through different industries, services, and products. Essentially, the affiliate works to spread the marketing campaign to a wider customer base, and the affiliate partner earns a percentage of all recommended sales.

Affiliate joint ventures work well for every business structure, ranging from individuals to multinational corporations. As the partner, it is a great way to gain instant exposure for your business beyond your traditional customer base. As the affiliate, you earn additional income without having to bear the responsibility of inventory and structures. It is a great win-win situation for both parties involved.

Taking Advantage of the Burgeoning Opportunity

The trend for consumers gaining additional comfort and ease with shopping online will only continue to grow. In addition, lured by the competitive pricing and services offered online, more and more consumers are turning to the internet as a means of finding the best deal, both for products and services. With that said, considering that 2008 is predicted to be a potential recessionary year, more consumers, restricted by tight spending will move their spending online, where their dollar stretches more.

Indeed, there are many “super affiliates” that have built very powerful businesses strictly by finding strong joint ventures and then matching those companies and services up with a related customer base. The earlier you start building your joint venture partnerships, the stronger you build the strength of your business earnings.