Impact Media's SEO Blog

With the UK officially out of recession, online retailers will be hoping for a bumper sales year. But what are the online shopping trends likely to be for the year ahead and what can the past teach us about what to expect?

The dark clouds of the credit crunch seem to have passed (or at the very least, parted), so with consumers having more money and better access to the Internet, 2010 promises to be yet another good year for etailers.

Last year alone, the online retail industry grew by 14%. So despite the apparent gloom of recession, the online market has continued to thrive. But whilst all arrows are currently pointing upwards, there are some notes of caution to temper any buoyant optimism, the most obvious of which is the VAT rise.

To help you to optimise sales and capitalise in a bullish market, we’ve put together a quick guide to the trends to look out for this year.
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It might seem a little early to be planning ahead to the festive season, but not so for online businesses…apparently. Preparedness is essential in the competitive world of Internet salesmanship. Despite Britain being bathed in summer sun and with temperatures looking set to eclipse all existing records, Christmas is already at the forefront of some people’s minds.

As highlighted on the Future Now blog, this Christmas is going to be more cut-throat than usual for many retailers. Consumers have less money to spend and will be looking to make it go further. Whilst it may not be the time to be decking the halls or dusting off your It’s a Wonderful Life DVD, e-commerce sites need to be ready earlier than ever with a winning Yuletide strategy.

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Analysts are predicting that in spite of the economic slowdown, 2008 is still going to be a big year for online Christmas shopping in the UK, as everyone is turning to the web to save time and money. Research suggests that more shoppers than ever will look for their Christmas gifts online in 2008.

This echoes last year’s phenomenal online retail results, which some estimates suggest reached nearly £5bn in the fourth quarter of 2007, a growth of nearly 40% from the previous year. Last December’s most searched item was the Nintendo Wii, which vastly overshadowed searches for Apple’s iPod and iPhone, it’s anyone’s guess as to this year’s most searched item.

According to a recent YouGov survey, 54% of people polled said that they would be spending less money on Christmas gifts this year.  Whilst that might seem a depressing prospect, the same survey revealed a 10% rise in those using the Internet to purchase their gifts this year.  One in five people in the UK will buy half of their Christmas presents online.  Despite the decline in total amount spent, the average online shopper will spend £1600 this year.

Internet sales in United Kingdom are climbing at a dramatic pace.  Since the year 2000, Internet sales have risen by 3,500% to £42bn this year.  It’s expected that by 2010, that figure is set to climb further still to £72bn. As an indication of 2008 shopping trends, Primark, the clothing retailer announced that this year’s online sales have increased so far by 12% whilst High Street sales have fallen by 6%.

Despite the massive success of online Christmas shopping, it’s hard to believe that more than 50% of the top 100 retailers will not make any revenue from Internet sales during Christmas 2008, because they do not have their own website.

One surprise factor is the Christmas Day shopping phenomena.  Whilst the shops were already closed on the 25th December, four million Britons went online in 2007 and spent £84 million.  Without a website, without an online presence, businesses of all sizes are missing out on a huge slice of the Christmas retail pudding.

One of the reasons for the increase in online Christmas sales is that older Internet users between the ages of mid 40’s and 50’s are beginning to use the Internet for their own online shopping.  Previously, this age group didn’t shop online but as the UK’s population becomes more Internet savvy, a greater number of older customers are buying their Christmas presents online.

Kelkoo, the online shopping comparison website recently did an online survey in the UK and found that 78% of those polled stated that they would be buying the greater part of their Christmas gifts online.

Despite the rather undeniable financial crisis, online sales continue to rise and this Christmas will be no different.  Don’t expect deserted High Streets this year though, the key figure for 2008 is that only 17p in every retail pound is currently being spent online.  This figure is set to rise year on year, leading to the conclusion that this is just the beginning.

Impact Media would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We will be away from the office now until the 2nd January 2008 so if you there are any enquiries drop us an email on info@impactmedialtd.co.uk and we will get in touch as soon as we are back.

Yesterday was the Impact Media Christmas outing which ended up being a bit of a triathlon.

Stage 1 – Go-Karting

It all started off with a friendly go-karting session (who are we kidding? More like all out war…) where the field was split: the crazy and the crazier! After the warm up / qualifying session (or to the competitive ones amongst us the first race) pole position went to Rob with 2nd going to Ben and 3rd to Adrian. The green lights of race time then came and Ben managed to catch the confident Rob napping for entry into pole position and the race was on. The race for pole was fast and furious between Ben and Rob with them managing to lap the rest of the group.

Rob #2 (IT Dude) gave up racing when he realised he had no driving skill so instead resorted to bumper-car techniques and made up his own game of seeing how many times he could run Andy off the track. Andy claimed it was 5 times in total ‘though, of course, this couldn’t be verified.

When the chequered flag came down, it was Ben that came in victorious over a disappointed Rob. Ben leapt onto the podium to collect the winners trophy followed by Rob a very close 2nd and Hannah in 3rd after a somewhat controversial overtaking manoeuvre on an orange light.

Stage 2 – Ten Pin Bowling

Next came the bowling which was split between 2 games: the practice and the main event. The games may have been split but the results were pretty similar for both of the games. Lucy ended up being the dark horse among us and although swearing blind she was no pro, beginners luck can only go so far. The real shock came when Andy managed to just pip Lucy to first place with a few well placed / lucky strikes.

Andy picked up his first ever trophy, a tasteful bowling pin money box in green. He immediately set about locating the nearest engraver…

Stage 3 – Food

By this time we were all starved so we finished the day off with a meal, drinks and discussions of the days antics!

A good time was had by all ‘though we can’t wait another 12 months before a bowling re-match.

Google have turned their considerable technological weight to helping children around the world track Santa Claus as we head towards the 25th December.

In their blog post, Tracking Santa, then and now, their Chief Santa Tracker explains the various ways that children can now monitor Santa’s movements using a combination of products, including Google Earth. There’s even a widget you can add to your Google page for up-to-the-minute monitoring of Father Christmas and his sleigh. Ho! Ho! Ho!