Not only is the UK population spending more time online they are spending money there as well.
According to research from comScore there are 37.6 million internet users in the UK. These users average 35.1 hours per month online. This places the UK third behind Canada and the USA in terms of online usage. Internet traffic in general is growing year on year with almost all sectors of the internet showing growth.
The UK is one of the biggest ecommerce markets in the worls. 71% of the UK population has bought online, up 4% since 2010. Online shopping in the UK in 2011 totaled over £50 billion, which is 12% of all retail spending. This is predicted to grow to £77 billion in 2012.
However, only 14.9% of all UK businesses sell their goods or services online. With SMEs the figures are even lower with just 14.3% of businesses selling online. The numbers are increasing fast though, with 228,000 UK retailers now trading online, up 30% on last year.
Some businesses clearly won’t be suited to trading online due to the nature of the products or services that they sell. But retailers who can sell online and aren’t are clearly missing out on a large customer base. The barriers to selling online are becoming ever weaker. If your business is not ready to invest in an ecommerce solution then simple payment options such as PayPal can be easily added to your site. Alternatively you can sell through one of the many online marketplaces such as eBay, Etsy or Amazon.
If you want to discuss which option would be best for your business you can speak to one of our Business Consultants on 0800 0828 727.
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