November 25, 2015 9.24 am This story is over 99 months old

Lincoln businesses urged to take advantage of online trading to benefit this Christmas

Online shopping: Lincoln businesses need to take advantage of the huge potential online shopping has to offer say eCommerce experts.

Businesses in Lincolnshire need to seek new markets opened up by the internet if they are to flourish according to Lincoln-based experts in eCommerce Spiral Media.

New figures produced by the global information services company, Experian, in conjunction with the UK’s industry association for online retail, IRMG, predict rising sales online this Christmas.

Spiral Media believes that there is still a lot of potential in online trading as figures predict online sales to increase even further this year with UK retailers expecting to take more than £1 billion on Black Friday alone.

Phil Kelsey, Managing Director for Spiral Media believes the drive towards online retailing can be crucial for businesses, particularly those in rural areas.

The research predicts that on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, sales will reach over £2 billion pounds, which is more than £500 million more than last year.

Manic Monday (December 7) is also expected to see a 10% increase from last year.

Online shopping on Christmas Day is anticipated to rise 11% to £728 million with the largest increase in sales expected on New Years Day at a 33% raise.

The Centre for Retail Research, based in Newark, reports suggests that online retailing in 2015 will be worth £52.24 billion – up 16.2% on the previous year with online sales predicted to be worth more than 15% of overall sales by the end of the year.

Stats released by the Office for National Statistics in October revealed that 20% of UK business revenue in 2013 came from ecommerce compared to 16% in 2009.

Phil Kelsey said: “There are many businesses and retailers, particularly in rural areas, still relying on traditional methods for selling their services or goods.

“The success of shops and physical premises rely so much on forces beyond your control. Parking charges, traffic jams, weather – all of these can dissuade a shopper from accessing your business. eCommerce removes these barriers.

“If, as a county, we do not join this revolution we will be left behind as businesses from across the rest of the UK begin to grab the market.”