THE UK is currently the single biggest online market, with Britons spending an estimated £38bn online last year – a third of all internet purchases across Europe.

The figures reflect how consumers are capitalising on the choice and convenience the internet offers by taking advantage of better online deals.

So as consumers get more savvy as to how they shop, the scope for businesses to grow by jumping on the demand for online shopping is massive. That said, the increased competition means e-retailers have to work harder.

The struggle for many businesses is converting visitors to sales, as the user experience of many e-commerce sites often deters potential buyers. This ranges from poor navigation to lack of sufficient product information.

Being found online doesn’t guarantee that people will open their wallets and spend with you. Businesses need to consider what the customer gets when they land at their site, is there a call to action, is it easy to use and is there a sales point? Most importantly does it match what their target audience is looking for?

A site’s content must revolve around the business’s product or service to ensure it appears in Google when shoppers are searching. There must be clear contact details, a visitor shouldn’t have to click through pages or spend unwarranted time trying to find what they are looking for.

Pay Per Click advertising allows retailers to get results faster by driving users with a specific interest in their product or service directly to the relevant site page. Joining Google’s Local Business Centre, for free, will improve a site’s visibility and ranking on Google.

Data collection is a must too as, if visitors don’t buy in the first instance, e-bulletins with latest news or targeted offers will encourage repeat visits and potential sales.

Once a sale is secured, it’s important for retailers to exploit the cross and up-selling options. For instance, if a bike is sold the buyer should be directed and asked about adding a helmet to their purchase.

It’s clear – retailers must invest in the design and usability of their e-commerce sites to help improve the visitor to sales conversion rates.

So, while it is great that UK online spend is soaring, it’s important to remember that plenty of money is being left on the table and that adopting several effective tools will go some way towards tapping into it.

INTERNET entrepreneur Ben Hatton is founder and managing director of Liverpool agency Rippleffect