As the UK economic slowdown continues and veers ever closer towards recession, there has been increasing focus on the way 
that current interest rates, rising inflation and a falling housing market are affecting business and consumer confidence across the board.
It's happening everywhere, it seems... except in the online world.
With fuel prices going up and a growing resistance to spending more than absolutely necessary on new purchases, people are increasingly using the Internet to research and find the best deals. The latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index shows that online sales are bucking the trend and growing faster than ever.
It's not only easier to buy a new iPod from your armchair than to visit a high street shop, it's a way to avoid paying for the petrol that it takes to get you there. A whole new set of buyers is turning to the Internet to save money. Just as supermarket shoppers are switching from Asda and Tesco to Aldi and Lidl, all consumers are looking for better prices in new places, and they know that overheads are lower online. The likes of Amazon and Comet.co.uk are reaping the benefits as shoppers turn away from traditional high street stores and look to the Net for open-all-hours convenience and the promise of more and better ways to beat the credit crunch.
Competition for this growing online business is getting tougher. Buyers are researching more before they jump in to enter their credit card details or pick up the phone. Some sources are showing visitors returning to a Web site ten or more times before making a decision. It's important that your business is easily recognised and easy to find every time potential clients go online. Recent research at Hitwise confirms that brand familiarity is significantly important, with 88% of the top 2,000 search phrases being for brand name search terms like Argos, Amazon and others with high recognition assets.
How to take advantage of the trend? As well as advertising, one of the best ways to drive a brand online is to gain a wide-ranging set of top-ranking search results, to get your name into the select group of suppliers that's seen and remembered over time, whenever users return to do more search engine checking.
If your business is footwear, for example, then ensuring that your company comes up for searches on “shoes” as well as very specific terms like “red ladies wedding shoes” (as well as everything in between!) means that people soon begin to recognise and remember your Web site as a promising resource.
You can also try growing your brand recognition with banner advertising on third party sites, just as Wembley Stadium did with the help of Zen Web Solutions, before England’s spiritual home was reopened.
Even in a particularly hard-hit market sector like house building, you can still expand your business online. Consider the example set by Redrow, who are putting extra effort into developing micro-sites for the new homes they continue to build at different locations around the country. They know that people limited by high petrol prices are turning to the Web to look for new homes, rather than driving around an area in the way they used to.
In all sectors, people still want and need to buy new products and services. Companies are still looking for better business suppliers. The big difference being made by the credit crunch is that customers with money to spend are showing up online in bigger numbers. Now, more than ever, the Internet is the first port of call for any buyer with access to a desktop and a PC.
Why not contact a Zen Web Solutions Consultant today to discuss what the expanding online market can do for your business