Spending on Internet advertising surpasses £3bn New research from the Advertising Association and The World Advertising Research Centre has highlighted the increasing importance advertisers are putting on the internet and its role in the future of their businesses. 2007 saw spending on online advertising surpass 3bn for the first time in the UK, accounting for a 16% share of the total advertising market. The research illustrates how this rapidly growing sector is taking priority from... Read Full Story

Meeting the PCI DSS Compliance Deadline - 30th June   As the internet evolves and permeates evermore into our daily lives and homes so does the continual issue of online security. If your business accepts payment cards then compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Standards (PCI DSS) applies to you. Compliance with the PCI DSS standards has officially been compulsory since 2005, although up until now has been loosely enforced. As the issue of online security has repeatedly hit... Read Full Story

Proudly supporting the South West of England When looking at the continued development and success of Sitemakers it becomes apparent that the South West region the business dwells in is a contributing factor in more ways than one. The location itself, in the heart of the Somerset Levels and a short drive from the main commuter routes of the M5 and A303 offers a naturally low stress working environment for the staff and more often than not a refreshing country excursion for visiting... Read Full Story

Retailers look to the internet to counter the Credit Crunch.   Latest figures reveal that online spending is still at record levels in the UK with £3 billion being spent online in the first quarter of this year. This is despite a downturn in high street sales and poor Easter trading driven largely by the current 'credit crunch' and resulting decline in consumer confidence. For many retailers the internet is proving to be vital during these turbulent times, a combination of tumbling... Read Full Story

The cost of selling on the internet.   Working for one of the UK's leading providers of online shopping websites to the retail industry I am regularly surprised at the lack of awareness that many business owners have in respect to the costs of running a shopping website for their business. Unfortunately this seems to be more of a reflection on the state of our industry than anything else, website design companies have got used to simply handing over websites like apples to business... Read Full Story

Spring Fair 2008: Sitemakers packs out the Future Trends Stage As reported last month Sitemakers were off to this years Spring Fair at the NEC to stage a set of daily seminars about eCommerce. The seminars delivered without technical jargon were designed to highlight the essentials of retailing on the internet to those visiting the UK's largest retail exhibition Sitemakers visit to the fair, one of the world’s largest retail buying events went down an absolute storm drawing capacity... Read Full Story

Internet marketing on a budget   Its easy when caught in the maelstrom of the Internet or even when considering a website for your business to feel that you're a very small fish in a very big pond, and that in order to compete with the large corporate giants that now dominate the Internet as they do our high streets you need very deep pockets. Naturally as with any new business venture opening up an online shopping website requires a degree of investment, but unlike most marketplaces... Read Full Story

Online retailing features at the Spring Fair Online retailing is being highlighted for the first time at next month’s Spring Fair. At Birmingham’s NEC from 3-7 February, this important retail show plays host to ecommerce specialists, Sitemakers Ltd, who will be presenting a daily seminar covering the essentials of retailing on the internet.The Retail on the Web seminar takes place on the Future Trends Stage and will interest retailers who are considering selling online, as well as those... Read Full Story

November is the new December! Christmas comes early at Shickle Shoes For so many UK retailers December is usually the busiest month. But there is always an exception! Geoff Shickle, Director of Shickle Shoes, who has had a retail shoe shop in the High Street in Burnham-on-Sea since 1966, has just seen his company's sales for November leap to more than double last year's figures. Geoff Shickle, clearly delighted by the boost in business explained: "The seasonal rush has certainly... Read Full Story

A three-step guide to increasing your Christmas sales For most of us, particularly in the retail industry Christmas is our busiest time of year, in 2006 Christmas sales on the Internet soared by almost 50% over the festive period seeing UK consumers spend over £5 billion. This trend is set to continue even further this year with consumers migrating onto the Internet in their droves intensified by the rapid expansion of broadband coverage and the demand for greater choice and value for... Read Full Story