Gap’s on-line sales website for UK customers is now up and running. At the same time the parent company, Gap Inc, launched a site for sister fashion brand, Banana Republic.

Both websites have an .eu domain and on-line customers can choose Gap, GapKids, babyGap and Banana Republic products with one shopping basket,  checkout and shipping.

Stephen Sunnucks, president of Gap Inc, Europe, is reported as saying: “We put a lot of research and time into building a dedicated UK eCommerce platform. We are delighted by both websites.” Their next step will be to expand on-line shopping to further European countries.

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This could be an interesting piece of research if you are aiming to attract the most potential customers to your ecommerce site. Especially if you use discount vouchers and social media marketing platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

A report, by price comparison website InvisibleHand, has found that traffic to internet shopping sites is 75% higher at 4pm on a Wednesday than at the quietest times. There is a 52% rise in the number of people shopping on-line on a typical workday afternoon compared with mornings. Meanwhile, on-line shopping traffic is 11% higher at 2pm than at midday.

Sunday night is the second most popular time for on-line shopping after Wednesday, with a 27% increase over Saturday night.

Could it be that office workers are turning to on-line shopping when they are most bored? And that Sunday night TV is not good enough to hold the attention of the average person as they switch on their computers instead?
Whatever the conclusion of this report, it does give a few clues for ecommerce businesses.

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New research predicts that on-line shopping is set to grow significantly in the next few years. eMarketer predicts that the rise will be 4% annually, reaching a total of 72% of al internet users by 2014.

In 2010 alone, 26 million people aged 14 and older in the UK – equating to 67.7% of internet users in that age group – will make at least one online purchase per month.

A recent study by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising revealed that the number of Brits who use the internet at least once a week has reached three-quarters of the population.

A senior analyst for eMarketer is reported as saying: “Online sales growth will continue to outpace growth in overall retail sales in 2010 and 2011, as more shoppers use the web to save time, stretch their pennies and buy items not readily available in nearby physical stores.”

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More than a third of consumers now prefer to shop on-line than in the high street. While the majority of shoppers (66%) say they still prefer high street shopping, the figure does show a larger e-retail market then many had previously estimated.
Other findings from the Econsultancy survey include:
* Some 80 per cent of respondents said that free postage offered an incentive for on-line shopping.
* More than 70% of consumers also said that price guarantees from online retailers was important in their e-retail habits.
* Many shoppers also like to see a safe purchasing system, such as PayPal, when making on-line purchases.
* Almost 60% of consumers said that a ratings system to rank products was important in online retail.

If you’re planning to launch or re-launch an ecommerce site then you’d be wise to consider the survey results. Find out about the great website design deals being offered with WebCreationUK.

A survey has revealed that many more shoppers are checking on-line recommendations before making a purchase. Marketing firm Cone found that 81% of Americans go on-line to verify recommendations. The figures are further broken down:

• Just over 60% of these people research product/service information
• 55% read user reviews
• 43% search ratings websites.

It seems that personal recommendations alone are no longer enough to guarantee a purchase, as 77% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase products or services when they can find additional recommendations about them on-line.

Of 
those aged  25 to 34, on-line verification is even more vital as the report found that 91% go on-line to check out recommendations before making a purchase.

There are also some categories of products that  are more likely to encourage people to check out recommendations. These include purchases of products that people hope to own for many years and also products that make health and safety claims.

It seems that these days, more than ever, companies and marketers should pay greater attention to what is being said and reported about their products and services.

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According to a new e-retail index, the past 10 years has seen UK shoppers spending a whopping £250billion on-line. And our shop-aholic tendencies see no sign of abating as it’s predicted that in 2010 alone we’ll spend £56 billion on-line.

The figure from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index is in stark contrast to a decade ago when 2001 UK e-retail sales were just £1.8 billion. Back then, only around six million Brits shopped online.

The Index has also revealed other trends:

* Peaks in sales of beers, wines and spirits when the English football team play in major tournaments.
* Huge growth in the sales of clothing online.
* On-line shopping sales are predicted to double again in the next 10 years.

IMRG chief executive James Roper is reported as saying: “Britons are passionate about shopping online. The combination of ease, convenience and 24/7 access is incredibly compelling.

“We expect to see that relationship strengthen over the coming decade and by 2020 we predict that the internet will account for half of all retail sales and influence most of the other half.”

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