Competition from the Internet has overtaken that from big-box and discount stores as the No. 1 concern of independent Christian retailers-but many are not investing much time or money in trying to meet the online challenge.

That was the finding of Christian Retailing's latest Vital Signs industry survey that asked retailers how they use the Internet in their stores and how their businesses have been affected by online buying.

More than half of respondents (52%) identified the Internet as having had “strong” (28%) or “considerable” (24%) impact on their business. Competition from big-box and discount stores was viewed at the same level by 44%.

Four out of five reported that customers “regularly or frequently” said they have used the Internet to research a product before coming in to a brick-and-mortar store to buy it.

Half the respondents reported that they leave the job of running the site to a third-party provider. Of those who managed their own sites, 60% reckoned to spend no more than two hours a week on the task.