Study suggests 27% of UK businesses are trading on-line

The report benchmarks business e-commerce activity and use of information and communications technologies in the UK against that in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the US, Canada and Japan. The survey is based on the results of nearly 6,000 telephone interviews in businesses of all sizes.

Other figures released today include:

• In the UK, 81% of businesses are now on-line. This puts the UK in a leading group with Canada, the US, Sweden and Germany;
• 75% of businesses that are not currently on-line in the UK intend to adopt e-commerce;
• 9 out of 10 UK employees work in businesses connected to the internet. This is close to the level of Canada, the US, Sweden and Germany;
• 55% of UK micro-businesses (those with under 10 employees), are now on-line, compared with 15% last year.

Charlie Watt, director of E-business at Scottish Enterprise commented:

"Scotland has enhanced its competitive position in relation to the UK as a whole this year and the results also confirm our analysis that e-commerce is taking a firm grip. A significant shift has occurred since last year accentuating the fact that we are in the middle of a revolution. We are now working to address the next stage. We intend to help accelerate the adoption of e-applications, giving businesses the competitive edge they require to ensure future profitability."