Online retailers ‘defying recession’
Online shops are seeing phenomenal growth and by the end of 2011, when the recession
is expected to be over, we'll be spending at least £1 in every £14 online, according to Carl
Schieble, managing director of PayPal UK.
He added: "Almost nine million of us now shop online at least once a week.”
PayPal's UK Online Retail Report has revealed that 62 per cent of online shoppers believe
the best deals are only available via the web, while 47 per cent claim their money goes
further when spent through the internet.
Many online retailers are offering discounts in order to attract the attention of consumers,
according to Mark Pearson, managing director of MyVoucherCodes.
Meanwhile, research in eBay's second Online Business Index found that well over a half of
web-based firms expect sales to rise in the next three months, while 76 per cent achieved
their sales targets in the past three months. A fifth also managed to cut their shipping
costs.
Vanessa Canzini, a spokesperson for eBay, said the figures highlighted how firms are
adapting.
"They realise there is a changing consumer demand in terms of what consumers are
buying and how much they are willing to pay and online businesses are really being
dynamic and responding to this change," she commented.
Recent figures from Verdict Research predicted that by the end of the year, a total of £20.9
billion will be spent by the public through websites including the UK's top three online
retailers Amazon, Argos and Play.com.
Growth will continue to 2013, when online retail spend will reach a staggering £31.2 billion.
Parcel2Go.com bosses report that demand for their services has been increasing as
consumers continue to up their online spending. Business development director, Richard
Adams-Mercer, said: “ As the largest online parcel delivery service in the UK, we are
experiencing huge increases in our courier business.”
Use Parcel2Go.com to send a parcel
