Four Big Ideas from Shop.org's Annual Summit

(MoneyWatch)  Shop.org, always a fount of useful news, has been an embarrassment of riches this week, as a crack team of bloggers covered sessions at the National Retail Federation's Shop.org Annual Summit in Las Vegas.

On Monday we'll delve into the presentation by keynoter George Jones, CEO of Borders Books. But to wrap up the week, take a look at some of the highlights of a very busy couple of days. What did we learn?

• It's not e-commerce, it's just commerce. You're either selling things, or you're not, and if you're not focusing on your online presence, you're killing yourself. Forrester Research released its annual study which shows that online retailing is not only growing, it may be the only part of retail that will continue to grow in the near future.
• Social media makes a difference -- now. In one session, experts took a look at Wet Seal's Runway application, which, says Linda Bustos, "allows customers to create their own fantasy outfits using Wet Seal clothing, and submit it to the Wet Seal community. It gives customers the chance to play stylist, preview what individual items might look like together, and interact with other shoppers like them to discover fashion ideas." Conversions? Oh yeah. Those too.
• Integrate, integrate, integrate! At J.C. Penney, the "Know Before You Go" web app lets customers see whether something they want is in stock at their local Penney's before they leave the house. Land's End gave the power to update store hours to the stores, not just the Web team. Anthropologie's online catalog is a desktop application designed to feel like a paper catalog -- a shopper can flip through fast, then double back to something she likes.
• Look beyond the big players for great ideas. An independent site for handcrafts, Etsy, got raves for online merchandising in some cool ways. Users can share with friends, "pounce" on new items and crafters, and locate items by geography and color.