Online sales to grow 12% in 2015
Posted on in Business News
New figures have revealed that online sales grew by 14% to £104 billion in 2014.
The figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index show that annual online spending broke the £100 billion barrier for the first time.
For 2015, IMRG and Capgemini are forecasting growth of a further 12% with total online sales estimated to be worth £116 billion by the end of the year.
In the eight weeks to 27 December, UK shoppers spend £21.6 billion on gifts and bargains which was 13% more than the same time last year.
According to figures from Experian and IMRG, an estimated £810 million was spent online on Black Friday 2014, the biggest ever day for UK online sales. The Index figures show that the greatest concentration of sales during the Christmas period - 17% - took place during the week of Black Friday.
Get online for free in 2015
Every retailer should be exploring their options for getting an e-retail site up and running. Thanks to ActSmart's brand new partnership with Tictail, it's now easier than ever.Tictail describes itself as 'an e-commerce platform for people that don't like e-commerce'. Launched in 2012, it is the trusted e-commerce platform of over 55,000 entrepreneurs who have used it to set-up or grow their retail business.
ActSmart's new partnership with Tictail allows users to build an e-commerce website, set up your shopping cart, keep track of your orders and take advantage of a whole range of useful add-on apps - all for free. With Tictail everything you need to start selling online has been taken care of, with no software to install or maintain.
As believers in the creativity and entrepreneurship of smaller businesses Tictail is proud to be sponsoring the 2015 Best Small Shops competition, which recognises the role small businesses play in the UK.
Carl Waldekranz, CEO and co-founder of Tictail, comments: "It's always amazed me how many great creative brands come out of Britain, and with over three million Britons working in retail today we're excited for Tictail to play a part in creating a new generation of storekeepers selling online for the first time. Every day we are inspired by the millions of unique goods sold by the Tictail community of online stores, and we look forward to helping to continue to unlock and globalise the innovation and creativity of the UK's best small shops and retailers."
The competition has already attracted entrants from all across the UK from a variety of retail sectors, from book shops to bike shops. All ‘small shops', whether selling goods or services in the UK, are invited to apply to be recognised as The Best Small Shop 2015. (Entrants must operate a physical shop, paying business rates.)
A reception will be held in the Palace of Westminster on the 25th February 2015 for the applicants that have been shortlisted, where the overall winner will be announced.
To submit your application click the button below.
Competition sponsored by:
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What next?
As well taking advantage of free site set-up, free product listings and
no commissions to pay on sales, ActSmart subscribers can also take
advantage of a range of free premium apps worth up to £150 per annum.
These add-on apps include Custom Domain, Discounts, Analytics, Product
Upsell and Recover Abandoned Carts. The apps available for free are
dependent on your ActSmart subscription level. Click here to find out more.
Click here to set up your own Tictail e-commerce site today. You will need to enter your ActSmart login details.
The free premium apps are automatically assigned to your new online store once your ActSmart login details are entered.