This week, a report from the European Commission’s Digital Agenda found that British businesses are ‘not keeping up with technology’. Adam Stewart, Marketing Director Rakuten’s Play.com, argues why the internet should be a liberation, rather than a hindrance, for SMEs.
The key findings from the European Commission’s Digital Agenda include:
• Only 14 per cent of British small businesses sold their products online over the last year, falling far short of the Commission target of 33 per cent selling over the internet by 2015
• 71 per cent of British people currently shop online, beating the 50 per cent target by a large margin
• 81 per cent of Britons use the internet at least once a week, beating the target of 75 per cent
• Broadband penetration is slowing down, though, as the total number of people with access to high-speed internet grew by only 0.1 per cent between January 2011 and January 2012
Adam Stewart, Marketing Director Rakuten’s Play.com commented: “It was frustrating to read statistics from the European Commisssion’s Digital Agenda team this morning, which revealed that just 14% of small businesses sell their products online, despite the fact that 71% of Brits currently shop online.
“The internet should be liberating Britain’s smaller retailers. The web is essentially a customisable shop front, requiring minimal infrastructure costs, while attracting footfall beyond the confines of the high street.
“You don’t need to hire a web developer to get involved either, using online marketplaces, small retailers can avoid the administrative headaches of payment systems and portal set-up, and simply get products quickly to market. Better still, using social tools like Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook, small businesses can market their business at a fraction of the cost and resource previously required.
“Ultimately, we’re living in a world where digital presence increasingly validates the physical world and all businesses need to respond or be left behind.”