80pc of SMEs confident about 2016

Eight out of ten UK SME e-retailers are confident they will increase sales in 2016, Royal Mail has said. The figures, which were up from seven out of ten, were revealed in Royal Mail’s annual study into the expectations and ambitions of UK SME e-retailers.

Royal Mail said that this confidence had been influenced by the sales success of 2015. The postal service found that 74 per cent of SME e-retailers increased sales last year – the highest in three years. Royal Mail found that the increase in confidence comes despite 53 per cent saying competition is more intense this year.

“Royal Mail’s annual tracker study of SME online retailers shows that confidence is continuing to grow this year and that technology is playing an ever more important role in the retail world,” said Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail.

He added: “Technology is influencing how people shop, where they shop and what they define as an excellent shopping experience. Our research shows that SME online retailers are plugged in to the needs of the shopper and they are taking actions to enable them to meet the demands of the discerning online consumer.”