Another internet milestone is reached this month as the two-billionth person comes online, with 85% of those having shopped online, according to new research. This means that almost 30% of the world’s population (of 6.8 billion) are now “internautes”, as the French call internet users, having adopted the World Wide Web which, in its consumer […]
Another internet milestone is reached this month as the two-billionth person comes online, with 85% of those having shopped online, according to new research. This means that almost 30% of the world’s population (of 6.8 billion) are now “internautes”, as the French call internet users, having adopted the World Wide Web which, in its consumer form, is just 16 years old.
Most people (85+%) who go online then shop online, bringing a fundamental shift in the way consumer goods are being marketed, traded and distributed, resulting in global e-retail trade worth a staggering €550 billion in 2010, according to IMRWorld.org estimates.
07/08/2010
Europeans count for 24% of the world’s online population; however they spend more than the average, accounting for 35% of total online retailing by value, worth almost €200 billion this year.
These changes are forcing governments, retailers, carriers and infrastructure providers everywhere – and especially in Europe – to rethink their business models, financial innovation and risk management.
A new conference – e-Business Strategy Europe 2010 (www.eBizEU.eu) – pitched as “The ‘Davos’ of the digital economy”, is being held in Lille, France, on 20th October, to enable industry and political leaders to debate and vote on core issues that will define and shape Europe’s digital agenda.
James Roper, CEO of IMRG.org and Chairman of IMRWorld.org, who will lead the e-Business Strategy Europe 2010 conference, commented: “Digital commerce demands our urgent attention. Each day we see the internet driving change in the way we all live, think and trade. However, in this rapidly changing space, with its multi-layered interdependencies, nobody can have a clear holistic view of where digital innovation may be taking us – and when.
“Our aim with the e-Business Strategy Europe 2010 event is to create a neutral space for leaders involved in planning or evaluating commercial strategies in which future visions for a Digital Europe can be projected – where together we can survey the likely coming business landscape and, through debate, interaction and audience voting, highlight critical actions and cooperation necessary to optimize Europe’s digital future.”
Colum Joyce, Strategy Director of IMRWorld.org, who will chair two of the e-Business Strategy Europe 2010 conference sessions, said: “While the internet is a critical support mechanism for pressured consumers and struggling retailers, for Europe, e-business will become the very core of a new economy in line with Government and EU strategic aims, generating jobs, additional tax revenues, and opening export opportunities.
“The internet is crucial for trade, entrepreneurship, job searching, finding work, improving skills and becoming self-employed. Our research shows that e-business is already creating significant new employment; more than 600,000 British jobs are either directly in or support the UK’s 150,000 online retail businesses; the e-retailers we surveyed now employ six times as many staff as when they started trading, and 78% of them expect to recruit staff in the next year.
“The future of e-business will be mobile, with the next billion people coming online faster than before, largely via smart phones and other mobile devices. Expect explosive creativity through apps for retailing, information search and location services. Key challenges are to keep the internet and e-commerce affordable, relevant, and secure, and focused on helping people manage their real needs, in real time with real benefits.”
www.ebizeu.eu
www.vad-ecommerce.com
