Growth of online sales

The number of people with internet access is continuing to rise, and e-commerce sales are increasing at the same time. The European Consumer Barometer 2008, a survey from the Dresdner-Cetelem Bank, reveals that e-commerce sales are expected to account for as much as 15 per cent of the volume of European trade by 2010. What is coverage like across Europe? Probably one in two households in Europe will have access to the internet by 2010. A fast connection is something that is more and more being taken for granted. Already 54 per cent of the Europeans questioned (in the office or at home) have a broadband connection. What is more, it is expected that the total number of hours spent online per week will increase from 12.4 hours in 2007 to 15 hours in 2010 throughout Europe at the expense of the traditional media. In the United Kingdom, the country boasting the best coverage, more time is already being spent on the internet than in front of the television. Increasing numbers of people are using their time online to obtain information about products or to actually buy them. Which puts them at the head of this trend in Europe.