Half of small firms lack a tailor-made website, says study

29th July 2009

Over 50 per cent of small businesses do not have their own website, a new report has revealed.

Research conducted by Paypal shows that 52 per cent of small businesses do not have a site, which could be losing companies up to £52,000 every year.

Cost factors were among the reasons given by businesses as to why they are still offline, with one-quarter of those surveyed admitting that they thought it would cost at least £500 to get started online.

However, some 56 per cent of businesses with an online presence have experienced an increase in turnover, according to the survey.

PayPal general manager for UK merchant services Cameron McLean said: "Creating an impressive virtual shop is the way to stay ahead of the game and having a website can be more cost-effective for your business than a high street presence."

Online shoppers in the UK tend to browse at home and buy at work, according to a recent comScore survey.

The study showed that in the five months leading up to May this year, 35 per cent of online purchases were undertaken in the workplace.

 

Category: Ecommerce Web Design

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