Research by Retail Research and RetailMeNot predicts that online sales in Europe will increase by 18% this year, reaching £131.2 billion in total, with France, Germany and the UK thought to account for the majority of sales.
It’s thought that the UK alone will see growth of 16% over
the course of this year, a number that will see the country account for 34% of
online sales of the 8 European countries that were surveyed.
The study, which also found that the average consumer will
shop online at least once a month, reached its predictions after interviewing
9,000 consumers and 100 major retailers.
SVP of international at RetailMeNot, Giulio Montemagno, said
that businesses must embrace computer and mobile shopping to increase
sales.
“In 2014, we are expecting to see online sales across Europe
grow at a rate that is 11.9 times faster than in-store sales. In the UK, online
retail is expected to increase by 15.8% this year while the offline segment
will grow by only 2.4%
“With such a competitive retail environment it’s more
important than ever that retailers look to mobile devices and the web to
incentivise shoppers to make purchases online and in-store. Successful
retailers will consider the internet not as a threat but as a powerful
complement which can help them increase their sales.
UKHost4u, a website hosting company that hosts thousands of
websites, has reacted to the research. A spokesperson for the company argues
that businesses without websites are losing money.
“This research simply adds weight to what those of in the
industry have known all along, that being that businesses who aren’t adapting
and are still reluctant to join the online community are missing out on a large
number of potential leads and sales – and that fact is only going to become
more self-evident as more and more people in the UK increase their browsing
frequency and convert to shopping online.
“However, for companies that aren’t online yet, there are
numerous web hosts in the UK, UKhost4u being one of them, that can help you to
get online and expand your income stream.”
UKHost4u is one of the UK’s leading website hosting
companies. They’re based in Scotland and provide a range of website solutions,
including web site builders, web hosting, reseller hosting, cloud virtual
servers and dedicated servers. Find out more about UKHost4u by visiting their
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For quotes contact: Paul Hughes: Email paul@ukhost4u.com – Tel: (0844)
414 2240