A recent article in eMarketer, a leading source for Internet market trends, highlights retail shopping statistics that show consumers hit the web first... before talking to family & friends.

This is great data that really drives home the importance of a blogging solution for retailers. 

I'd be interested to see the breakdown of how many people start with a search engine in that 58% . It's probably a conservative estimate to say it's at least half, which would be about the same amount that visit local stores.  Think how much effort is dedicated to in-store displays and hiring smart, capable employees to service needs of shoppers.  Based on this data, why would a retail business not provide that same experience online??

Blog for your business.  Show consumers you are in tuned with your industry and the needs of your customers.  You will be found in search engines more often... on a wider range of keywords.  And, with a measurable blog strategy, you will convert those visitors into paying customers.