Those involved in e-commerce are increasingly focusing on the checkout process in order to increase sales, according to a survey.

Forrester Research carried out a survey on behalf of Shop.org and revealed that almost eight-out-of-ten online retailers will be focusing on improvement of the customer experience in 2009.

Indeed, 90 per cent of medium-sized companies plan to make this their top priority.

For many, this will involve providing more information about shipping, with two-thirds intending to ensure details about loaded cost can be seen before checkout.

Sucharita Mulpuru, vice-president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, explained that a lack of transparency when it comes to such charges is a key cause of shopping cart abandonment.

And Shop.org executive director Scott Silverman suggested firms need to adapt in order to attract shoppers.

"In today's economy, retailers need to be one step ahead," he said. "Companies are investing in their websites to set them apart from their competition and make the shopping experience informative, efficient and even fun."

Recently, the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index showed that growth in the e-commerce sector continued in May, with internet sales rising at a faster pace than the overall retail sector.