22nd February 2012
The internet has allowed us to make a number of changes to the way we work, live and play. Whether you use the web to carry out parts of or all of your job or simply rely on it for entertainment, it is sure to be a crucial feature of everyday life.
Jeremiah Johnston, president of the Internet Commerce Association, has commented on one of the undoubted success stories of the net in recent years – online shopping.
He said ecommerce is becoming one of the most popular uses of the internet, as the UK population increasingly turns to their computers to carry out tasks. Interestingly, growth can also be put down to the increasing audience the web boasts, with older people the latest to take it up in great numbers.
"Now the general population has more thoroughly moved online for a lot of key daily activities - shopping being a big one of them. So ecommerce numbers are just going to continue to grow," Mr Johnston explained.
With this in mind, retailers who are offering products online may be wise to prepare for the surge in business they can expect to enjoy. One way to do this is to have an efficient and impressive shipping system in place, including the use of custom packaging.
"If you're an existing company - an electronics retailer for example - it's still cheaper for you to do business online than it is to have a brick and mortar store," Mr Johnston continued.
He is not the only expert to have recently spoken out about the improving fortunes of the retail market. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said January's financial results were promising and more positive figures are anticipated in the future.
Online retail looks likely to contribute more than its fair share to these, especially if Mr Johnston is to be believed. He added that more and more transactions are sure to occur in the future, as a result of the aforementioned factors.
Indeed, he suggested the picture is looking "pretty healthy" for online retailers right now.