UK e-commerce gets a broadband boost

Latest claims have shown that part of the rise in UK e-commence can be associated with advancements in fast broadband speeds, which has helped increase the amount of recent spending.

A leading organisation have claimed that the recent development of high-speed broadband networks have partially led to an increased growth of e-commerce usage throughout the UK.

It has been suggested by experts from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) that a more widespread availability of connections to broadband is linked directed to the rapid growth of the online retail sector.

Reports from online retailers showing increases in the amount of business seen through online service over the Christmas period made this suggestion more noticeable.

The head of BRC media campaigns, Richard Dodd, said that many people were initially “nervous” when it came to making payments online but now they have “largely overcome” these concerns regarding online security.

He explained “More people are getting broadband and more people are getting confident with buying online and part of that of course is convenience in making an easy price comparison. It is good news for retailers as it opens up the whole world as a potential market which is good news for all retailers, but very often smaller more specialised retailers.”

During the December period consumers in the UK spent more than £4.67 billion and this figure includes spending of £102 million on Christmas day according to figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. This shows higher figures than the same time last year where consumers spent £4.07 billion. The increase comes despite the credit crunch and amidst fear that things may get worse.

It was also revealed by the BRC that compared to the same period last year 59.9 percent of consumers spent more on their online shopping during Christmas 2008.