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Posted by admin on February 26th, 2009

It’s official, UK retail sales rose by 0.7% in January compared with December, and by 3.6% compared with January 2008, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).  And, though this is unlikely to represent the green shoots of retail recovery, here’s hoping your business saw a little ray of sunshine, however weak, between blizzards last month. 

More cheering news is the confirmation that internet sales continue to grow steadily and now represent 3.7% of total retail sales, that’s an average £178m/week spent online in the UK in January.   

Could this possibly be related in any way to the findings of a recent BT survey about the luxuries we just can’t live without, even in a recession?  Sensibly, 71% of respondents claim to have cut their spending since the start of the credit crunch, with 62% going out less often and 59% trading down to less expensive shops. 

But when it came to revealing the things we won’t cut back on, broadband appeared at the top of the list.  That’s right, the internet is apparently more vital to us than fresh fruit and vegetables, which came second (though I’d question the motivation of a survey which includes hanging onto your health as a luxury, but let’s not quibble).   

57% of respondents to BT’s research refuse to relinquish their constant connection to the worldwide web.  Maybe that’s not so surprising.  An internet connection allows us to shop around for bargains and means we don’t have to venture to the shops when it’s cold outside, simultaneously contributing to overall economising and increasing online spending.  

So, if you don’t yet have an ecommerce website, or you’re not convinced that you’re really exploiting your opportunities to grow your online sales with your current ecommerce website, you really should be talking to us.   

Or at least reading some of the recent blog postings on ecommerce, because we’ve been talking enough about it ourselves:   

Parb has been waxing lyrical about ecommerce web design and user-friendly product layout while Colin revealed how a product comparison function allows your customers to make informed decisions and allows you to show off your product range.  Andy introduced us to filtering, the ecommerce equivalent of the (increasingly rare) helpful retail sales assistant. 

And we’re all getting interactive with our new backend too.  Kevin explained how user-generated content in ecommerce can really help to sell your products and Parb’s RSS habit shows just how easy it is for e-tailers and shoppers alike to share news on the latest products, offers and reviews.  And Dani’s  really gone to town on social networking, or rather not gone to town, since the whole point is that you don’t have to leave your own sofa. 

If the word hadn’t already been appropriated to describe another online phenomenon, I’d be tempted to say that we’re all of a twitter about ecommerce.  And not just because we’re a bunch of techie geeks with nothing better to get excited about, but because, combined with the continued growth in online sales, we can see the potential for the new generation of ecommerce solutions offered by Studio 2 Online to deliver exponential growth for our customers.   

And that really is something for everyone to get happy about this Thursday. 

If you want to find out what all the fuss is about for yourself, take a look at our e-commerce demo or feel free to contact us, we’re dying to share the benefits. 

Keep smiling.