Hostway Survey Forecasts Strong 2005 E-Commerce Opportunities For Small, Mid-Sized Retailers
Consumers say they'll buy online from small businesses; Cite over all high satisfaction with Webshopping.
Chicago, IL—December 21, 2004—For small and mid-sized retailers without a website, making a resolution for 2005 should be easy—join the Internet e-commerce revolution.
According to a national survey sponsored by Web hosting leader Hostway Corporation, online shopping has become an accepted facet of everyday life. The national study of 2,500 consumers found that more than 90 percent of consumers have purchased products or services online, and the vast majority report that they are satisfied with their e-commerce experiences.
Even more telling is the fact that many of these consumers are just as willing to buy from small online retailers as they are from larger, national e-commerce providers. Three-fourths of consumers who have shopped Web sites of both large and small companies said size is not a factor in satisfying their online shopping needs.
"This survey is proof of the increasing acceptance of shopping online and the increasingly positive attitudes towards small businesses," said John Lee, Hostway's vice president of marketing. "With industry analysts forecasting continued growth in online consumer spending in 2005, we believe smaller online retailers should be prepared to capture a bigger slice of the e-commerce pie."
According to the most recent statistics released by the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are approximately 23 million small businesses in the United States. Of these businesses, approximately 70 percent had or planned on having a website by the end of the 2004, as reported in an April 2004 Harris Interactive survey.
"The Internet is helping to level the playing field, allowing small and medium-size companies to compete with the giants," added Lee. "There's still time to build a Web presence and take advantage of the e-commerce explosion."
The e-commerce survey, conducted recently for Hostway by market research firm TNS, also found that nearly half of consumers (48 percent) will buy from an online retailer that does not have a physical presence, which opens the door for purely Web-based businesses.
Note to editors: To obtain top-line survey results click here. To speak with an executive at Hostway, please contact Tina Janczura at 312.970.5841 or Tina.Janczura@slackbarshinger.com.
About Hostway Corporation
Hostway Corporation is a leader in Cloud, Managed, and Managed Hosting. Hostway delivers reliable, secure, and scalable Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solutions to over 600,000 customers worldwide. Hostway services its clients from more than 250,000 square feet of state-of-the-art data center space, spanning four continents and 12 countries. Hostway has emerged as one of the largest cloud hosting and Infrastructure-as-a-Service providers in the world due to the company’s expertise in developing secure, multi-tenant hosting environments and is committed to providing SMB's and large enterprises with cost effective business solutions. Hostway’s core products include Managed Hosting, Cloud Hosting, and Email and Applications.
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About TNS
TNS is one of the world's leading market information groups, providing market measurement, analysis and insight through its operating companies in 70 countries. Working with national and multi-national organizations, TNS helps its clients develop effective business strategies and enhance relationships with their customers. In July 2003, the group merged with NFO WorldGroup, Inc. For more information about TNS, please visit www.tns-global.com .
Survey Methodology
TNS conducted the survey online on behalf of Hostway Corporation between November 10 and 13, 2004 among a nationally representative sample of 2,507 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older selected from TNS-NFO ACCESS panel. For more information on survey methodology, please contact Tina Janczura at Tina.Janczura@slackbarshinger.com.
