A quarter of the small and medium online retailers plan to improve their delivery and returns processes in the coming year, according to a study by Royal Mail.
The study revealed that just over half of SME online retailers saw an increase in sales in 2012 and two thirds (64 per cent) are confident sales will increase this year. This is despite 70 per cent believing competition is more intense than two years ago.
And the rise in people using Smartphones and tablets to buy goods increasingly means shoppers are using retailers they know and not shopping around, one third (31 per cent) of online retailers said.
To respond to the challenge of the changing ways people shop online, 35 per cent of SME online retailers are planning to develop mobile apps in 2013. Ten per cent said they have already developed them.
Almost six in ten online retailers (56 per cent) said the increase in the number of websites selling goods was fuelling increased competition for sales.
Other priorities included more competitive pricing (46 per cent) and improving the quality of goods sold (29 per cent).
Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail Parcels, said: “Our study shows that online retailers are responding to the needs of shoppers to grow sales in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”
