Page All:
Page 1
Sage Pay e-business Benchmark Report Reveals Phenomenal Year on Year Growth Among UK and Irish e-tailers
LONDON, September 27, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
- UK and Ireland internet businesses report average growth of 49% over
past 12 months
- Social media use doubles in one year. 3/4 of e-tailers now use
Facebook and Twitter to drive sales
- 57% of UK e-tailers now trading internationally as Britain becomes
nation of e-exporters
UK and Irish internet businesses are defying the economic downturn and
flying the flag for Britain on the international stage according to the
e-business benchmark report from Sage Pay, the UK's fastest growing payment
processor. Now in its second year, Sage Pay's annual survey of over 1,000 UK
and Ireland based internet businesses found the industry is in rude health
with respondents reporting on average 49% growth in online sales over the
past year.
Flying the flag internationally
The Sage Pay report also showed more than half (57%) of e-tailers are
taking advantage of the weak pound and relative maturity of the UK and Irish
e-commerce market by expanding into international territories. While
European countries, including France, Germany and Spain remain the most
popular destinations for business expansion, Britain's e-exporters are
finding success across the world, notably in China, where nearly one in five
respondents said they now have a presence.
Simon Black, Managing Director of Sage Pay, said: "As the government
talks about rebalancing the economy, it could do a lot worse than look at
the vibrancy and dynamism of the e-commerce sector. Competition is healthy,
yet fierce and as our report shows, e-tailers are rising to the challenge by
embracing new technologies, expanding into new markets and innovating with
new channels to entice and excite customers."
Social media goes mainstream
Among the stand-out findings from the Sage Pay report was the huge jump
in social media usage by e-tailers over the past year. 76% of the e-tailers
surveyed are now using Twitter to communicate with customers, double the
number using the channel in 2010. Sage Pay also found that 76% of e-tailers
now have their own Facebook page, an 18% leap from last year's report which
found 58% of top performing sites using Facebook.
Keeping Customers 'Appy
While smartphone use has exploded in 2011, Sage Pay found adoption of
mobile technologies remains in its infancy among e-tailers, particularly in
terms of App development. While 30% of e-tailers claimed a mobile App was
part of their long-term plans, just 5% of respondents had already developed
an App for their business, and 27% did not think having an App would be
relevant to their business.
Simon Black noted: "What we are seeing this year is a huge amount of
interest and a certain degree of hype around mobile commerce. While some
early adopters are seeing success, a lot of businesses have opted to play a
waiting game while they decide how to best implement their m-commerce
strategy. Service providers need to offer the flexibility needed to help
these businesses take full advantage of new technologies."
The Sage Pay e-business benchmark report is designed to offer a
comprehensive insight into the latest trends techniques and behaviours that
are delivering success for the UK's e-commerce businesses. This report is
based on a survey of 1,000 UK e-businesses of all sizes and types and was
conducted between May and June 2011. To download a copy of the report,
please go to: http://www.benchmarkyourebusiness.com
About Sage Pay
Sage Pay is a division of FTSE 100 business software company Sage. It is
the UK's fastest growing independent payment service provider (PSP) and is
one of the most trusted e-commerce brands. Sage Pay processes millions of
secure payments for its 34,000 customers each year and makes the process of
accepting payments simpler, faster, safer and more profitable for businesses
of all sizes. For more information, please visit http://www.sagepay.com
Source: Sage Pay
For more information, please contact: Amy Monro, Email: amy.monro@sagepay.com, Tel: +44(0)7595-607-556
Sage Pay e-business Benchmark Report Reveals Phenomenal Year on Year Growth Among UK and Irish e-tailers
LONDON, September 27, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
- UK and Ireland internet businesses report average growth of 49% over
past 12 months
- Social media use doubles in one year. 3/4 of e-tailers now use
Facebook and Twitter to drive sales
- 57% of UK e-tailers now trading internationally as Britain becomes
nation of e-exporters
UK and Irish internet businesses are defying the economic downturn and
flying the flag for Britain on the international stage according to the
e-business benchmark report from Sage Pay, the UK's fastest growing payment
processor. Now in its second year, Sage Pay's annual survey of over 1,000 UK
and Ireland based internet businesses found the industry is in rude health
with respondents reporting on average 49% growth in online sales over the
past year.
Flying the flag internationally
The Sage Pay report also showed more than half (57%) of e-tailers are
taking advantage of the weak pound and relative maturity of the UK and Irish
e-commerce market by expanding into international territories. While
European countries, including France, Germany and Spain remain the most
popular destinations for business expansion, Britain's e-exporters are
finding success across the world, notably in China, where nearly one in five
respondents said they now have a presence.
Simon Black, Managing Director of Sage Pay, said: "As the government
talks about rebalancing the economy, it could do a lot worse than look at
the vibrancy and dynamism of the e-commerce sector. Competition is healthy,
yet fierce and as our report shows, e-tailers are rising to the challenge by
embracing new technologies, expanding into new markets and innovating with
new channels to entice and excite customers."
Social media goes mainstream
Among the stand-out findings from the Sage Pay report was the huge jump
in social media usage by e-tailers over the past year. 76% of the e-tailers
surveyed are now using Twitter to communicate with customers, double the
number using the channel in 2010. Sage Pay also found that 76% of e-tailers
now have their own Facebook page, an 18% leap from last year's report which
found 58% of top performing sites using Facebook.
Keeping Customers 'Appy
While smartphone use has exploded in 2011, Sage Pay found adoption of
mobile technologies remains in its infancy among e-tailers, particularly in
terms of App development. While 30% of e-tailers claimed a mobile App was
part of their long-term plans, just 5% of respondents had already developed
an App for their business, and 27% did not think having an App would be
relevant to their business.
Simon Black noted: "What we are seeing this year is a huge amount of
interest and a certain degree of hype around mobile commerce. While some
early adopters are seeing success, a lot of businesses have opted to play a
waiting game while they decide how to best implement their m-commerce
strategy. Service providers need to offer the flexibility needed to help
these businesses take full advantage of new technologies."
The Sage Pay e-business benchmark report is designed to offer a
comprehensive insight into the latest trends techniques and behaviours that
are delivering success for the UK's e-commerce businesses. This report is
based on a survey of 1,000 UK e-businesses of all sizes and types and was
conducted between May and June 2011. To download a copy of the report,
please go to: http://www.benchmarkyourebusiness.com
About Sage Pay
Sage Pay is a division of FTSE 100 business software company Sage. It is
the UK's fastest growing independent payment service provider (PSP) and is
one of the most trusted e-commerce brands. Sage Pay processes millions of
secure payments for its 34,000 customers each year and makes the process of
accepting payments simpler, faster, safer and more profitable for businesses
of all sizes. For more information, please visit http://www.sagepay.com
Source: Sage Pay
For more information, please contact: Amy Monro, Email: amy.monro@sagepay.com, Tel: +44(0)7595-607-556