More small firms using e-commerce, research shows

A higher number of small businesses are now using ecommerce, a recent study has discovered.

There has been a 31 per cent rise in the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) using the technology in the past year, while 27 per cent of them sell over half of their items and services via the internet, a study by PeoplePerHour has found.

PeoplePerHour chief executive officer Xenios Thrasyvoulou said: "The move to ecommerce won't be news to the majority of observers of the UK small business sector."

Mr Thrasyvoulou went on to say that a paradigm shift is being seen when it comes to how companies market and sell their products.

The growth of ecommerce was recently highlighted in a survey by Accenture, which found that two-thirds of retailers are looking at European cross-border ecommerce as a medium or high priority for growth.

Janet Hoffman from the firm explained that ecommerce operating models must combine the internet's flexibility with the convenience of the high street.

Posted by Ab Hamid