Internet shopping is booming!

What credit crunch…? Did you know that the amount of people shopping online is at an all time high and online spend is growing by £2.4 billion in 2009 and by 2013 figures are set to top £31.2 billion, accounting for 10.0% of total retail spending.

Some more facts for you too… in 2008 there was a 1% increase in internet users and an 18.1% increase in online shoppers each of these individuals spending an average of 5.8% more in comparison to 2007.

Ok, that’s enough stats for today let’s have a look at what the reasons are for this huge growth:

• Second hand goods sales (thanks to Ebay et al)
• Cheaper prices online as no overheads of a High Street shop
• More convenience to search out bargains
• Less time to enjoy shopping as we work longer hours to aspire to better lifestlyes

“There is some evidence that the most financially squeezed shoppers are abandoning the internet in favor of cheaper high street shopping at the likes of Primark and Matalan, particularly in sectors which retail smaller, lower priced items, including clothing,” adds Pinkerton.“But overall this is being more than outweighed by increases in bargain hunters looking for larger, branded items and the loyalty of those most financially comfortable consumers who continue to value convenience over price.”

So… “there has never been a better time to improve my search rankings through some rather clever social media marketing techniques such as online PR” I hear you say!