Here’s some advice to online retailers from eMarketer.com.

In an article titled “Online Retailers Take Stock” writers note that 48% of people surveyed said they’d go to a competing Web site if the product they wanted was out of stock on the first site they tried. In second place, 31% surveyed said they’d check back later to see if the product was back on the “e-shelves.”

“Respondents to a Retail Systems Alert Group survey cited efficient inventory allocation as among the key opportunities for creating customer satisfaction,” according to the article. In fact, in December of last year, 56% of respondents said ensuring accurate, consistent product information was the most important business initiative, according to a survey by the same group in February of this year.