If you already trade successfully in the real world, considerations such as integration, security and web design may make you wonder if it’s worth all the trouble and expense.

However, the Internet is an opportunity from which most – if not all – businesses can benefit.  As consumers put in longer hours at work and have less leisure time, so they look to the Internet for convenience in shopping; and what discerning shopper these days does not use the Internet to compare prices and find the best bargains?

In the UK, e-retail alone is forecast to be worth £26.1bn in 2006, with 26m shoppers each spending an average of £1003 over the course of the year , so the Internet is a sales channel that cannot be ignored, whether your business is already established or just starting out.