What Does an Increasing Demand for eCommerce Mean for UK Businesses?

In recent years business gurus, traditional retailers and the general public have lamented over the “death of the high-street”. In 2013/14/15 I was frequently walking past empty shop fronts in the town centre, finding myself driving out of town to furniture showrooms or retail parks and buying from Amazon Prime for next day delivery. However, from the ashes of high storefront vacancies rose the phoenix of independent cafes, healthy fast-food and boutique or pop-up restaurants.

The British people are certainly diverse but one thing that can be observed is our common stoic nature. But we don’t just endure, it is when we are most hard-pressed that the British people really thrive. We are opportunists at heart and economic, technological or environmental developments are what we need to really shine. 

According to the Office of National Statistics all retailing online was up 9.4% in December 2017 vs. 2016 and accounted for 18% of all retail sales in December 2017. This growth area in the economy offers another opportunity for British people who may have previously been employed by or relied upon the high-street. Whilst a plethora of new eateries have filled the high-street new businesses have formed to help facilitate online shopping. Big retailers need a whole new raft of specialist skillsets in order to make their business successful. Instead of shop-fitters they need web designers, instead of visual merchandisers they need a CRO agency, instead of handing out flyers they need social media experts. In the USA, according to Statista, US digital advertising spend in 2015 was $161.77 billion and they forecast that it would reach $229.25 billion in 2017. The need to fill the knowledge gap in this emerging industry was initially very high and thousands of jobs have been created that did not exist 25 years ago. UK businesses have identified the skills that they need and looked to expert companies to provide them. Hence the existence of web design, digital marketing, CRO, social media and digital advertising agencies around the World.

The continuously increasing importance of eCommerce as a means of consumption in the UK ultimately offers a wealth of opportunity to British entrepreneurs and would-be business owners who are brave enough to take the plunge. From the increasing availability of traditional retail-space in which to create a new type of business, to the opportunity to offer services which help facilitate and improve online shopping, to the possibility of something new that we have not yet conceived it is fair to say that Britain will thrive in this period of change.