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.”

If you are interested in having an ecommerce website, drop by WebCreationUK. We currently have an e-shop summer special package available