Web Host Hostway Releases Survey Data

(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- A recent survey conducted by market research firm TNS for Web hosting provider Hostway Corp. (hostway.com) shows that online shopping has become tightly integrated with daily life. The national study of 2,500 consumers found that more than 90 percent of consumers have purchased products or services online, with the majority of consumers saying they are satisfied with their e-commerce experiences.

Additionally, the survey found that 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 WebSites of both large and small companies said that the size of the business does not affect their online shopping experience.

"This survey is proof of the increasing acceptance of shopping online and the increasingly positive attitudes towards small businesses," says 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 April 2004 Harris Interactive survey, approximately 70 percent of the 23 million small businesses in the US had or planned on having a WebSite by the end of the 2004. The e-commerce survey also found that 48 percent of consumers would buy from an online retailer that lacks a physical presence, which opens the door for purely Web-based businesses.