Businesses in Essex are more likely to order goods and services online than firms trading from other regions in the UK.
Some 59 per cent of firms in the East of England do business online compared with the national average of 54 per cent.
According to a study by the DTI-led UK online for business, firms in the East of England region, along with the North West, topped the league in percentage terms for overall sales ordered online.
In our region, around a fifth of all sales were e-commerce transactions.
According to the International Benchmarking Study 2003, firms in the East allow customers to order online in 33 per cent of deals. This compares with 29 per cent in 2002.
Some 14 per cent were prepared to accept payment over the net.
Security breaches, however, seem to deterring some from buying on the net.
The number of firms paying for goods and services online has fallen back from 28 per cent to 21 per cent.
Some 37 per cent of all firms surveyed said they used IT to reduce costs and improve communications with suppliers.
Richard Kneller, UK online for business regional champion for the East said ordering online is very much becoming the order of the day. Those who delay, he warned, could lose out to their competitors.
"It is disappointing, however, to see the low proportion of businesses in the East of England measuring how technology impacts on their business," he added.
Published Friday January 30, 2004
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article