Half of UK businesses now order online
A DTI-led report on ebusiness has found that more than half of British businesses are now ordering online and are taking a more strategic approach to new technologies.
Link: Britain second only to US for ebusiness
This progress was revealed in the International Benchmarking Study 2002, which revealed that 91% of business have access to the internet, and 80% have a website.
In terms of new technology, UK business are using it to improve communication and transactions between and within businesses.
There was also a large increase in businesses ordering online and greater use of technology to track and check availability of goods. More businesses also provided information to customers and suppliers online and shared information internally.
Ecommerce minister Stephen Timms said: ‘UK businesses are beginning to make the best of, and get the benefits from, new technology, but we must not stop here.
‘Companies understand that ebusiness is no longer just about having a website or email and that they must now focus on using technology to transform all their business processes.
The report showed encouraging signs of more sophisticated use of, and strategic approaches to, ebusiness, and that we are well on track to developing an advanced e-economy.’