BRITISH businesses are not keeping up with technology and the growth of high speed broadband has stalled, according to a report by the European Commission.
Just 14 per cent of small businesses in the UK sold their products online last year and are unlikely to reach a European target of 33 per cent by 2015, the report says.
In the European Commission’s Digital Agenda, it was found that 71 per cent of British people currently shop online, far higher than most countries and far above the European target of 50 per cent. Also, 81 per cent of Britons use the internet at least once a week, easily beating the target of 75 per cent.
However the growth of fixed broadband has slowed down and almost stopped, as the numbers of people gaining access to high speed internet grew by only 0.1 per cent between January 2011 and January 2012. The report says 31.7% of the UK’s population has access to fixed broadband.
Adam Stewart, marketing director of Play.com said it was frustrating to see the report statistics, especially considering the popularity of online retail.
“It was frustrating to read statistics from the European Commission’s Digital Agenda team this morning, which revealed that just 14% of small businesses sell their products online, despite the fact that 71% of Brits currently shop online,” Mr Stewart said.
“The internet should be liberating Britain’s smaller retailers. The web is essentially a customisable shop front, requiring minimal infrastructure costs, while attracting footfall beyond the confines of the high street.”
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