Diminishing Returns? Facebook, Twitter Promotions Don't Give Retailers a Needed Boost

It seems retailers are having just as much trouble getting shoppers to spend money on their websites as they are in their stores. Total online sales for the second quarter were down more than 2 percent from last quarter, according to the latest Retail Online Index from IBM. The lackluster web numbers come on the heels of a disappointing retail sales report from the Commerce Department Monday, which showed a third straight month-over-month decline in sales.