A new report has found that 42% of UK on-line retailers do not offer international delivery. The study, funded by the Royal Mail and conducted by Snow Valley, found that some 5% only deliver within the EU and 57% of those that deliver worldwide did not show the additional costs at checkout.

Now business experts are encouraging more UK-based e-commerce owners to offer a greater range – as well as safer and clearer international delivery options – for customers.

It’s has been revealed (in another study) that currently just 7% of EU consumers carry out safe shopping online with retailers located in different nations. Obviously this sales sector has room for growth and many economic analysts worry that UK ecommerce business owners could be left behind if they do not improve their overseas delivery services.

Snow Valley’s study reveals that 28% per of sales with online retailer ASOS are generated by international customers, netting it £56 million in 2009. Food for thought indeed!

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Latest news from the car sales industry is that Ford Retail has launched a dedicated ecommerce website: FordOnline.co.uk

While many potential car buyers will start their search on-line, the most traditional approach to actually buying a car is to then go to a car sales forecourt.

But FordOnline.co.uk are keen to capitalise on the numbers of potential customers by offering cars for sale on-line, and not simply use the internet as a place to advertise their cars for sale.

These days there is a wider trust of buying on-line and with the backing of established brands there is a belief that customers are willing to use the internet for these types of larger purchases.

The FordOnline.co.uk ecommerce site has been set up to be transaction-oriented. The target is customers who have identified the product they want to buy and are ready to find out more about the deal. They also plan to launch a customer review section.

It will be interesting to see how this new website will be welcomed by customers.

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More good news from the world on on-line retail as Asos reports that sales have boosted pre-tax profits by 44% to £20.3 million in the last financial year.  Asos said that international sales grew by a massive 95% to £63 million during the year. In the UK, Asos sales grew 20% to £160 million.

Womenswear and accessories account for some 72% of sales at Asos, while menswear amounts to for 20% of total sales. The company says it has 1.6 million active customers, up 25% from last year.

Nick Robertson, Asos chief executive, is reported as saying: “We believe that online fashion will continue to out-perform traditional retail channels.”

When it comes to on-line purchasing, the Brits are the biggest spenders. In a survey that looked at on-line spending last year in Europe it was found that our country makes almost a third of total internet purchases.

Buying on-line in the UK added up to a massive £38billion in 2009, accounting for 30% of total European internet sales, according to price comparison site Kelkoo. In second and third place were Germany and France respectively.

And while many people are tightening their purse strings it appears they are increasingly likely to spend on ecommerce and e-retail sites. On-line sales in the UK increased by 12% last year, items bought over the internet make up 9.5% of all retail sales in this country.

It’s thought that this trend is set to continue. The report believes the on-line market will continue to expand this year growing by more than 10%.