Online retailers cut their customer acquisition expenditures by 65% in the second quarter, compared with the same period last year, according to Reuters. The study by Shop.org, an association of online retailers and Boston Consulting Group, found that customer acquisition costs fell to $14 per customer in the second quarter, down from $18 in the first quarter of this year, and from $23 during the 2000 holiday shopping season. This spending reduction has coincided with retailers increasing their spending on direct mail and catalogs, rather than on mainstream print and broadcast media, the survey noted. The survey is based on reports from 74 online-only and multi-channel retailers.
