Online shopping boom - Sales Article

By:Adrienne Davis

The expansion of the online retail market is evident again this week as figures for 2005 were released. UK consumers bought Ł8.2bn ($14.3bn) of goods from websites last year – a 28.9% increase in internet marketing over 2004, according to market analysts Verdict. In cash terms that means shoppers spent an extra Ł1.8bn online in 2005.

Verdict says the figures show internet shopping is closing in on the Ł9.4bn spent in department stores in 2005. Its retail analyst, Nick Gladding, said online shopping was now a "formidable competitor" to the High Street as it allowed people to do the work from home, searching the web for the best value and service.

A quarter of all UK buyers now shop on the internet, for goods and services, as the online shopping community grew by 25.5% to 14.6 million people between 2004 and 2005. The surge in "e-retail" means online shopping is now winning its biggest-ever slice of the UK retail market. Overall UK retail sales grew by just 1.5% in 2005 - the slowest rate since the early 1960s.

In its e-market 2006 report Verdict says internet marketing enables customers to shop at times to suit them. With many more people working from home, the pattern of high street shopping has changed. One of the biggest growth sectors in online shopping is among the over-50s, with numbers almost doubling to 2.7 million users between 2004 and 2005. The amount spent by this sector rose 46.7% to an average Ł458 per head.

The report comes a month after a report from e-commerce trade body IMRG said online shopping among UK consumers soared almost 50% in the 10 weeks before Christmas. Shoppers spent Ł4.98bn online during the period, compared with Ł3.3bn for the same time a year earlier.

Online shoppers need great customer service as they can easily click on to another retailer who serves them better. To keep these clients, website owners must use the right advertising media and launch regular email marketing campaigns. Online marketers can get unbiased advice from dedicated niche websites. The top home based businesses are giving online shoppers what they need: building a relationship, giving excellent service and following up with their customers. Many offline businesses face huge change to retain the modern consumer against this new competition.

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Article keywords: top home based businesses, second income ideas, work home, internet marketing, email marketing, niche websites, ideas work, shop online, unbiased advice, online shopping, shop internet, Adrienne Davis

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Adrienne Davis runs www.homebusinessadvisers.com and has extensive experience in marketing, business start up, training and employment law. She publishes a regular FREE newsletter – see details below. You can get unbiased advice from Adrienne on working at home, business ideas and affiliate programs. See which ideas work and how to get free advertising. Learn about buying a franchise, hiring and firing staff, network marketing, and business investment. Don’t miss the newsletter at www.homebusinessadvisers.com, or contact me with any questions at adrienneadrienne@btinternet.com.

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