US cross-channel retail sales, which include transactions that are influenced by the Web in some way but are completed in stores, will reach $1.8 trillion by 2017, up from $1.2 trillion in 2012, according to Forrester’s US Cross-Channel Retail Forecast, 2012 To 2017. In contrast, Forrester forecasts that direct eCommerce sales (including mobile and tablets) will top $370 billion by 2017 and that total retail sales in the US will reach $3.6 trillion by 2017, 60% of which will be either transacted directly on PCs, phones, or tablets, or influenced by research on those devices.

“As more and more shoppers are likely to visit an eCommerce site prior to vising a store or to have a smartphone in hand while in a physical store, retailers need to consider the implications for their business,” notes Vice President and Principal Analyst Sucharita Mulpuru. What are the drivers of this growth? Ubiquitous Internet connections on mobile devices, particularly smartphones, and retailer investments in web enablement for their stores.  Mulpuru expects that this cross-channel influence will affect every retail category, but some sectors will be more affected than others: Forrester expects grocery, apparel and accessories, home improvement, and consumer electronics to generate $1.1 trillion of the $1.8 trillion in cross-channel sales.

Learn more about Forrester’s US Cross-Channel Retail Forecast, 2012 To 2017, here.