UK businesses benefit from e-commerce boom

Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - 11:14 by Graham Miller

Internet sales are more important than ever for most companies based in the UK, according to figures published this month by the government.

It is now believed that 19 per cent of all sales are secured via safe shopping online, with a report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), confirming this number.

Last year, 483 billion was spent online in both consumer and business to business transactions and this figure is expected to rise again by the time 2012 has drawn to a close.

The UK is proportionally the fifth most prolific e-commerce country in Europe, sitting behind the top-ranked Czech Republic, where a quarter of all sales come from safe shopping online.

Interestingly, about 81 per cent of companies have a website, which means that there are still plenty of businesses that are not taking advantage of the internet to promote their products and services.

Meanwhile, 93 per cent of companies have broadband internet access, which is a proportion that should rise as the government continues its efforts to roll out high speed connectivity to currently underserviced areas of the UK.

Much progress has been made when it comes to broadband availability, since in 2007, about 30 per cent of businesses were still having to rely on what was effectively a dial up connection.

For consumers, having internet access is equally important, because it means that they can actually visit e-commerce sites and save money because of the lower average costs found online.

Giving businesses and consumers fast access to the web will benefit both parties, because it helps to stimulate the economy and streamline the services that everyone needs.

Nineteen per cent of sales being conducted online is a decent figure, but also suggests that there is further growth in the market.