E-commerce News Category

The IMRG e-retail sales index this week reported a growth in e-commerce of 16%, despite the recession.  This news supports our post ’E-commerce in the Credit Crunch‘ from 1st December, which stated that some of our customers where reporting a sizable increase in sales.

So despite October this year seeing the first monthly traffic fall since records began, it looks like e-commerce continues to out perform the High Street.

The BBC recently reported a decline in both High Street and online sales, highlighting a 4% drop in online sales compared to last year’s figures. In comparison to the last three months leading to Christmas last year which saw UK internet sales rise by more than 50%.

In July this year online sales were accounting for nearly 20% of all retail spending, suggesting that online sales was going to continue outperforming the High Street shops. Is it all doom and gloom with this first decrease in Internet sales since 2001? Should those who are looking to start an online business fear the worst from under-confident consumers?

Feedback from our customers would suggest otherwise – more often than not they are actually reporting a sizable increase in sales, for example: Jeremy James from I Want Pants told us sales are up 62% compared to the same week last year, and Duncan Innes from Sussex and the City reported a sales increase of around 400%!

With the credit crunch and Christmas around the corner more and more people are turning to online stores searching the that ‘must have’ bargain.

The OFT (Office of Fair Trading) has been conducting wide-spread checks on online stores over the run-up to Christmas, looking for sites that contravene the DSR’s (Distance Selling Regulations).

Although the exercise initially focused on the top 600 online stores, this is sure to continue through 2008, with the OFT starting to focus more and more on the Online retail sector.

The government has published guidelines for e-Tailers to assist in becoming compliant. It is certainly in the interests of e-Tailer’s to meet the regulations, as non-compliance can mean that your customers can take advantage of your T’s and C’s – as well as the potential to be taken offline by the DTI.

The OFT Guidelines can be seen here:

www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/small_businesses/distance-selling/

Any queries on this dont hesitate to give us a call on 0845 072 6060.

It looks like another booming good Christmas for EROL customers in 2007.

Feedback from out customers show that there has been a significant increase in the amount of online spending for the December period, with an overall increase of around 15%*.

Reasons for this increase have been attributed to queues on busy high street shops and the savings that can be made when buying online – with products being on average 13 per cent cheaper online.

*Based on orders placed on EROL stores during December 2006 and December 2007.

The banking industry have issued new 2-4-6 cheque clearance rules for cheque payment, which come into force on the 1st of December.

The new rules state that cheque payments are not 100% guaranteed until the 7th working day after the cheque has been presented to your bank for payment. The payment may show in your account on day 4, but the money is not 100% guaranteed to be yours until close of business on day 6.

Therefore merchants will be able to despatch goods on the 7th day, when the funds are fully cleared.

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