UK boasts many online shoppers but few firms do business online

A whopping 81% of people in the UK log on to the Internet at least once a week, 13% more than the EU average of 68%. Furthermore, almost three-quarters (71%) of Brits now shop online.

However, just 14.9% of businesses in the UK do business online.

Adam Stewart, marketing director at Rakuten's Play.com, said the Digital Agenda Scoreboard made for frustrating reading.

"The Internet should be liberating Britain's smaller retailers. The web is essentially a customizable shop front, requiring minimal infrastructure costs, while attracting footfall beyond the confines of the high street," said Stewart. "You don't need to hire a web developer to get involved either, using marketplaces like Rakuten's Play.com, small retailers can avoid the administrative headaches of payment systems and portal set-up, and simply get products quickly to market."

Figures recently released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe reveal that Internet users in the UK make almost a third of all their purchases online. Furthermore, UK Internet users spend 32% of their total shopping budget online followed by online shoppers in Germany who spend just over a quarter of their total spending online (25.4%).

Tags: digital agenda, EU, Europe, European Union, Internet, trends, UK