E-commerce web visits falling, says Hitwise

21st April 2009

British web users are starting to spend less time shopping on e-commerce websites, new figures have indicated.

E-commerce sites represented about 8.6 per cent of all UK website visits last month, compared with 9.7 per cent in March 2008, Hitwise revealed.

Furthermore, traffic to other website categories - particularly social networks, entertainment and news - have increased over the same timeframe.

Robin Goad of Hitwise said that rises in visits to such sites have historically occurred in tandem with an increase in e-commerce website traffic, but this is not the case this year thanks to the recession.

"Over the last three months, online retailers seem to be really suffering from the economic downturn for the first time," he commented.

British consumers spent 13 per cent more on online purchases in February this year compared with the same month in 2008, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index statistics.

 

Category: Ecommerce Web Design

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