If this is a question you are asking yourself here are some interesting statistics to help you make your decision.

In the UK in 2010 73% of households had internet access and 70% had broadband.

This means that A LOT of people are now using the internet in the United Kingdom!!

Also in 2010 42.6% of consumers bought something online at least once a week and the average online spend per shopper was £71 per month.

IMRG and Capgemini predict that the UK online retail market will grow by 110% in the next decade, reaching £123bn by 2020.

And if you're wondering why there is so much fuss about Social Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, its because recommendations from friends or family is the single most important factor in the choice of website to buy from. 71% of people give this as the reason and 46% said knowledge of the retailer from their hight street presence was a key factor.

The UK is Europe’s leading e-retail economy, with sales estimated to reach £70bn in 2011.

Global e-retail sales increased by almost 25% to £501bn in 2010.

The UK e-retail market is currently growing at 18% per annum, in spite of the recession.

The UK’s per capita spend of £1143 per annum is the highest in the world.

37 million people shop online in the UK

A great example of e-commerce activity helping to combat the global recession is Next. Despite flagging revenues from its High Street stores, sales overall for the company are up in the last quarter. This growth has come primarily from its on-line e-commerce business!

So... should you have an online shop...?

Sources:
IMGR

econsultancy.com

Capgemini

Internet Retailing