UK business lagging behind in the internet market

UK businesses are still behind their global competitors when it comes to using the internet to its optimum potential, according to the 1999 Banner survey.

Banner is continuous survey carried out over a period of a year and consists of opinions from over 4,500 IT decision-makers in the UK marketplace. Results show that only 4% of UK IT professionals are using e-commerce to promote business or sell their products on-line.

A spokesperson for Banner Corporation explained to I-fm that companies "are a bit wary about using it for security reasons. They have a lack of knowledge concerning the procedure, which inhibits them from doing anything more than using the web to access information."

With the convergence of European Monetary Union and internet growth, a truly global business world with cross-border commerce could evolve. However, according to this survey, British companies are reluctant about using the internet for anything more than email.

Richard Buckley, associate research director at Banner Corporation commented: "The internet is a competitive tool which can be used to dramatically cut business costs, but businesses need to be educated and trained on how to make the most of this new technology. "Successful businesses will be those that use the internet to re-engineer their whole supply chain to strip out waste, improve quality and efficiency and give customers better service and support."

Julie Crisp