In the home and garden sector, 75 per cent of retailers don't have a transactional presence online, along with 65 per cent of retailers in clothing and footwear, and 60 per cent in health and beauty.
This follows Zendor's survey in June of more than 100 of the UK's major clothing and footwear retailers. It found that 12 per cent did not have even a basic web site. Although more than half of them had information posted online, such as basic facts like product range and store information, there was no mechanism for consumers to buy anything.
Feedback from more than half of the retailers surveyed showed that they felt that there wasn't enough money in online selling. Their reasons included 'It won't be cost effective and we cannot afford it at the moment", and retailers argued that they had tried it before and failed.
However, Zendor says the market has matured over the last two to three years. And, according to retail analysts and consultants Verdict Research, the online market will triple in size over five years.
The investigation also found that retailers were reticent about developing a transactional web site if their competitors had not moved online. The survey showed they prefer to focus on store development, with an online strategy taking a back seat.
This is an expensive mistake, says Zendor, as there is a lengthy learning curve involved in setting up online or multi-channel retailing and waiting for the competition to make a move could prove costly. The firm suggests that the time taken to set up a web site - and use it effectively - could be a year.
Nick Allen, chief executive of Zendor, explained: "The online retail market is developing fast and retailers who hold back too long now risk missing the boat. It is unlikely that there will be enough room for everyone, so those who are concerned about how much it's going to cost them to go online should now start thinking 'how much will it cost us if we don't?'," he added.
_1.jpg)
.jpg)