East Midlands firms are missing out on websites...
Date Published 25/11/2006 - Click here for more recent news
In a report in today's Northampton Chronicle & Echo - locally based credit card behemoth Barclaycard Business say that they've found that 76% of businesses questioned in the East Midlands do not currently trade online and are missing out on lucrative Christmas sales as milions of shoppers shun the high street to shop online.
It also found that of those retailers in the East Midlands who were able to accept business over the Internet, nearly 80% had seen an increase in their business over the last 12 months.
Guess what? EASIserv.com are based in the East Midlands and we build websites for a living - in order that retailers can trade online and if anybody had cared to ask us for an opinion we could have told them that. But what else?
Bill Thomson, commercial director for Barclaycard Business said, " The growth of online shopping over the last 5 years has opened up a lucrative new revenue stream for East Midlands' retailers. However, it is clear from our research that many retailers are not yet benefiting from this new income by making their goods and services available online. Our research shows that many East Midlands' retailers perceive setting up online as a costly exercise. In fact the opposite is true. Starting to trade online can be extremely quick and cost effective; a move that can deliver new business which will quickly repay any initial costs."
Well hoorah, to you Bill for stating that truism! But Bill doesn't exactly go on to explain from his research - why do East Midlands' retailers think that it's expensive to set-up online? It can't surely be because the retailers haven't done any online pricing research - could it? The East Midlands is awash with successful, high-quality web designers - and EASIserv.com is proud to belong to that design community. If any of these East Midlands' retailers care to have a look around the EASIserv.com website, for example, they'll find a very reasonably priced portfolio of web design services that can be delivered routinely, in a reasonably quick time.
If you're a business who's been considering going down the E-Commerce route - then take on board what Bill Thomson, of Barclaycard Business has had to say in the comments above. Some may not unreasonably take the view that Bill just wants to promote the use of Barclaycard services - and they'd probably be right. But at EASIserv.com we take the view that we became and remain successful by helping others to become successful (online) - and we're pretty sure that's a view that Bill Thomson shares.
It's almost certainly a bit late this year to take aim on the Christmas 2006 online market - but why not start planning now to be in pole position for Christmas 2007. And who knows, along the intervening 12 months between now and then - you might come to realise that the World Wide Web never closes and you may not have to wait that long to repay your initial investment - Christmas might be early (online) next year!
>> visit EASIserv.com Price Guide page
>> visit EASIserv.com E-Commerce website design page
PS: Some additional supporting data on the online shopping bonanza, from research firm Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), indicates that an estimated £183m worth of products will be bought online on Monday 4th December 2006, as online retailers gear up for the busiest day of the year. A single day's UK Internet shopping revenues will be 40% higher than last year’s high of £131m in a single day.
The report predicts that shoppers will buy earlier this year to avoid disappointment. Last year, online shopping peaked on the 12 December, but shoppers were caught out by late deliveries missing the Christmas deadline.
Other online shopping behaviours commented on by James Roper, IMRG chief executive, included:
- that Monday's are traditionally busier than the rest of the week (as families tend to discuss their wishes at the weekend and place orders at the start of the week)
- it is also more common for consumers to do their online shopping on their office computers (despite nearly half of households having broadband internet at home)
- spending is expected to be most frequent at lunchtime between 1pm and 2pm, with sales expected to top £14m
- another surge will follow between 7pm and 9pm when more than £22m will be spent.
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