Consumers becoming more comfortable with shopping online

A recent report has suggested that a rising number of consumers in the UK are becoming more comfortable with shopping online, and this is set to result in a huge boost in the number of businesses running their operations online.

Figures have shown that the number of firms running their businesses online is already increasing as a result of how comfortable consumers have become with doing their shopping on the Internet, and this is a trend that is expected to continue.

It is thought that by 2020 the half of all new retail businesses will be online firms, which will continue to try and meet the rising demands on web savvy consumers who want to enjoy the ease, convenience, and flexibility of being able to make their purchases online.

Annual online expenditure is also expected to rocket by 2020, with figures from the report, which was by the online marketplace eBay, indicating that figures could rise up to £67 billion, which would reflect an increase of a massive £47 billion.

One woman who runs her own online businesses said: ‘The last year has been extremely good even through the recession. Our toys are traditional and we offer quality and fantastic service and I think people are prepared to pay slightly more for good quality toys that don’t fall apart within minutes.’

She added: ‘We stand out because we put the hours in. Even at home I never switch off. We also have excellent customer service and respond very quickly to emails and phone calls.’

One eBay official added: ‘It is no surprise that both buyers and sellers continue to flock online. Service levels online are now comparable to, if not better than, those that buyers are used to on the High Street and pricing is transparent and competitive. For sellers of all sizes, the costs of entry are low and the opportunities significant.’