News Home > Online Advertising
Government report highlights 'digital divide'
A new government report indicates that smaller businesses could be doing more to utilise the potential of the internet.The 'Focus on the Digital Age' report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) illustrates that new technologies are transforming businesses and homes, but some are being left behind in what the group calls a 'digital divide'.
It found that, although UK businesses adoption of IT and the internet is well established, there is a clear divide between small and large businesses.
For example, 39 per cent of large businesses (with 1,000 or more employees) sold over the internet in 2005. However, among smaller businesses (10 to 49 employees) only 13 per cent did so, indicating that these firms could be doing more to exploit online advertising.
However, there was good news for internet marketers, as the report also found that the proportion of UK businesses selling online doubled between 2002 and 2005, from seven to 15 per cent.
The move towards online was perhaps best illustrated at Christmas, when online sales grew massively and high-street retailers suffered.
The ONS report also shows that almost half (45 per cent) of British households had internet access in 2006 - to take advantage of this huge audience, businesses can make use of link building.
Online Advertising news posted on 20 March 2007
