It is only fifteen years since the internet was commercialised, but in that time it has been responsible for the most dramatic impact on culture, communication and more importantly commerce. This has major implications for every business today.
The internet is now very much a part of everyday life for many people, where the use of smart phones, laptops and credit cards merge online seamlessly for eCommerce. Recent advances in credit card payment systems have provided the customer security to make impulse buying or grocery shopping effortless and commonplace. Each year that statistics show an increase in the number of people using the internet as well as buying products and services online – eCommerce.
Trying to decide if you should have an eShop to sell your products online? Here are some compelling statistics:-
General Web usage
- In 2009 the average Irish website user was online 13.12 hours a week (10 hours in 2008).
- Meanwhile despite the recession, demand for broadband in Ireland has increased by 15.8% year-on-year to over 1.6 million subscribers at the end of 2010 (source: Com Reg).
- €1,700 was the average online spend of an Irish consumer in 2008
- 50% of Irish consumers look for advice online before making a purchase
- 90% of Irish consumers believe they can save money online
- €300 million worth of goods were purchased online in Ireland in 2008
- €2.5billion spent in total online transactions including travel, gambling and finance in Ireland in 2008
mCommerce / Mobile Phones
- Smart Phones
35% of phones in Ireland are internet enabled – ahead of EU average. (Sweden and UK are highest with 58% & 49% respectively 2010). - Mobile Commerce becoming a serious business with 10 million people using their iPhones to buy from eBay in 2009.
- 500million + users worldwide
- Spending 22.2 minutes per day
- 2.6 visits per day
- 2 million Facebook users in Ireland – that’s approximately half the population here!
- 130 friends avg
- 467,000 Irish mobile users of Facebook
Sources: ”Insight through innovation Survey”, iReach Market Research, Feb 2009,“Life Online: The Daily Life of Ireland’s 2 Million Internet Users” , Amarach Research , Feb 2008, and “Global Online Survey” in “Trends in Online Shopping”, The Nielson Company, Feb 2009 – all provided by Google
- In the UK 51% of the population buy online and 15% do so via a mobile phone.
- Online sales were worth GBP £45.6 billion from Jan –Oct 2010 up 17% on the previous year.
(source:IMRG - Media In Retain Group)
Like early Byzantium where trade switched from Rome to Constantinople or the very early trade waterways along the Nile, Tigris or Yellow River in China – consumers are now flocking to the internet to do business. But is seems that some businesses have been a little slow to react and adopt to this new market. A CSO survey in 2010 showed just 23% of companies with broadband were selling online! Just as in the early commercial days, each business can continue to do business the way they have always done and risk getting left behind; or choose to sell where the new market has formed and where their customers now congregate / shop - online.
I believe the choice is simple and although you may not be fully comfortable with all things online, your business cannot afford to squander the opportunity that is the web. Companies that arrive late to the party may find it more difficult to pull customers from more established online brands. Find our more about our eCommerce Solutions
