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Wake up to the internet, UK
Why is corporate Britain so uninterested
in the internet as a serious platform for sales?
I am currently spending a large amount going between the
USA and the UK and each time I come back to the UK I am amazed
at how business here just doesn't seem to take the internet
seriously.
In the USA, I can book a restaurant in real time on the net.
I can search through over 2 million homes for sale across
all states on the MLS (multiple Listings Service) and finally
I can tell people what I do for a living and they understand
and have heard of my profession. In the UK, few restaurants
even have a website and I cannot think of one with a booking
facility. Most estate agents websites are inadequate and very
few if any offer a virtual tour facility.
Looking at the possible reasons as to why this is, I remember
back in the early days (circa 1998) when many UK firms believed
that the internet was the domain of geeks and kids. I distinctly
remember a carpet shop owner saying to me once 'I've never
lost any business by not having a website'.
Well, a few years down the line alot of these firms have,
in some cases relunctantly joined the internet revolution
however that is where it stopped with a kind of 'we've done
our bit' attitude.
I am still amazed that even now, few business owners have
an idea of where their internet traffic is coming from or
if they're getting any traffic at all. This does have it's
advantages for some though as I recall a client of mine in
an industrial sector that virtually cleaned up on the internet
sales side as there was little or no competition.
It is frustrating as I know the potential that is still left
here in the UK for business. People really do want the convenience
of being able to do more things online as they become busier.
Phil Crawshay
Managing Director - August 2005
© 2005, no-6.co.uk limited
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