Pleasing 2008, even better 2009 on the cards

Jonathan Bowers, December 31st 2008, 4:44PM

I am delighted to say that UKFast enjoyed another record year this year. A big thank you must go to our team, which has grown considerably this year, for continuing to deliver an excellent service to clients. It is their dedication more than anything else that helps to set us apart from our competitors.

A big thank you must also go to our partners and clients for doing business with us and trusting in our ability to serve them faithfully.

I truly believe that UKFast continues to prosper because we focus on the important things. Our values are all about employing the best to deliver the best service and support to clients. The businesses that host with us demand top performance and reliability and they stay with UKFast because we can meet their expectations. And that is very satisfying.

But we never rest on our laurels. To do so would mean to lose focus and drive and fall below the excellence we demand of ourselves. So in 2009 we plan to drive the business to even greater heights.

We have a raft of new products and services to bring to clients to enhance their UKFast hosting solutions even further. We will also continue to expand our team of dedicated account managers, sales executives, technicians etc. to empower us to offer more added value to clients. We also hope to continue to expand our network that already exceeds a quarter of a million websites.

And we believe that the business climate will be right to support a great year. E-commerce is growing every year and 2009 will be no exception. Research suggests that next year UK online sales will climb by 14.4% to £68.4 billion, compared to £59.8 billion in 2008.

So businesses need to be online in 2009 and if they choose a dedicated server from UKFast they can ensure the best performance and reliability on the market.

Bring on 2009, it’s going to be a great year!

Tags: e-commerce, hosting, internet, marketing
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Internet gives businesses the flexibility to adapt to business conditions

Jonathan Bowers, December 23rd 2008, 6:18PM

It is impossible not to notice the effects of the recession in the world around us, particularly on the high street where sales have slumped to record lows. However, what I have also noticed is that the Internet genuinely has the power to counter the downturn.

A combination of lower overheads, convenience and flexibility to react rapidly to market forces empowers online business to weather the recessionary storm.

Take for example the online travel industry. Various data and research shows that this industry is continuing to prosper even though it is one of the most exposed industries. First of all, major online travel companies Expedia and Lastminute.com have continued to increase profits in 2008, bucking the experience of many high street travel outlets.

Then there is the analytical evidence from online user behaviour. As we detail in the spotlight section of the UKFast December newsletter, the key trends remain positive.

They are:

1. The travel industry's overall percentage share of all internet traffic has remained constant.

2. Searchers are looking for cheaper, domestic destinations.

3. Online brands have strengthened and gained user loyalty.

The online travel industry continues to get as much traffic now as it did this time last year. This shows that users are as interested in making travel plans online as they were in pre-recession times.

Secondly, research on key words shows that online surfers have switched from looking at foreign destinations to domestic destinations. The motivation on the part of the consumer is cost savings. However, the data also shows that online companies have the flexibility to adjust their marketing easily to continue to capture the prevalent market.

Finally, point three is very encouraging for online travel businesses. The fact that Expedia and LastMinute.com have both seen a 10% increase in the success of their brand names in searches indicates that the online travel brands are becoming more familiar and trusted by customers.

So the conclusion that we can take away is that doing business online affords you opportunities that the high street cannot, opportunities to adapt rapidly to challenging conditions to remain profitable.

Tags: e-commerce, hosting, internet, marketing
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Interflora to sue over Google AdWords tactics

Jonathan Bowers, December 10th 2008, 5:37PM

Interflora has become the first trademark holder to challenge Google’s Adword policy of allowing companies to bid on rivals’ trademarked terms. The US flower delivery giant has issued a lawsuit in the UK courts citing the UK Trade Marks Act as its justification.

Interestingly, it is not Google that Interflora is suing but two British companies who have been bidding on the ‘Interflora’ trademark. Apparently, the suit argues that sections 10(1) and 10(3) of the Trade Marks Act 1994 are being breached by Marks & Spencer and Flowers Direct because they have been bidding on the Interflora name and appearing as ‘sponsored links’ on Google searches of ‘Interflora’.

Although it has taken over six months for Google AdWords to spark this legal battle, it is not surprising that it has come. Since the early weeks of the year firms have been screaming that the considerable money they have spent setting up and developing their brands would be devastated overnight by Google’s money making antics.

What is surprising are the targets for Interflora’s wrath. Most industry commentators expected companies to attack Google for establishing the profit generating system that disregarded trademarks but Interflora has chosen to go after the rivals using the system instead. The key, experts suggest, is cost and the fact that it is cheaper to try and scare opponents out of bidding than to instigate a full scale legal battle with Google.

So the suits are likely to just be scare tactics but if they were to go to court the legal conclusion would be of huge importance. Ultimately, it would come down to a decision on whether bidding on a term on an internet search engine is the same as commercially using the term.

If the judge agreed with Interflora Google would be stripped of its lucrative strategy and a bit of its aura of infallibility, while companies would have to revert to old AdWord bidding strategies. However, if the suit was cast out Google would kick back and relax as firms continued to piggyback each others’ brands.

Tags: motivational speakers, adwords, brand, e-commerce, google, internet, marketing, search, search_terms
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December 8th - the biggest single online shopping day

Jonathan Bowers, December 8th 2008, 3:43PM

Done your Christmas shopping yet? Planning to avoid the high street cram this coming weekend by shopping online? Well you are not the only one.

More and more of us are doing our holiday gift buying online as the convenience and cheap prices are increasingly making the e-street more attractive than the high street.

In fact, according to research from IMRG and Capgemini, online sales are expected to be up 15% on last year even though we are experiencing an economic downturn. And today, Monday December 8th, is predicted to be the single biggest day of online spending with Brits handing over £320m in the space of 24 hours.

The figures suggest that the peak shopping hour has already happened between 1-2pm today when an estimated £28 million was spent online. IMRG and Capgemini say that this is double the amount spent on the web during the peak hour of 2006, at midday on Monday 11th December.

Although the peak may well be today, the online shopping curve is sure to stay sky high right up until Christmas as online businesses offer next day delivery right up until the last few days.

And it is not too late for retailers wanting to get in on the act. With a Hyper-V e-retail server solution from UKFast any e-commerce initiative can be up and running within hours.

Tags: disney, accessibility, browsing, e-commerce, economy, hosting, internet, websites
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Get the tax break that actually helps

Jonathan Bowers, December 1st 2008, 3:16PM

The Government is trying to counter the recession (and falling voter numbers) by offering short term tax incentives. The headline cut is the 2.5% on VAT that supposedly will have us all scurrying straight out to the shops. Additionally, Alistair Darling has announced a one year tax exemption for certain empty properties as an aid to embattled UK businesses.

The problem is that these measures don’t look as great when scrutinised. The VAT cut will apparently be funded by a hike in a few years time, while the business community says the property tax provision is too little, too late. So are these tax moves really to help British people and industry or just political spin?

Either way, there are measures businesses in the UK can take that will truly help to reduce the financial burden during the recession.

As UKFast reported in early September, there is a little known piece of Government legislation which offers business rate reductions for qualifying small companies. Businesses using a property with a rateable value of less then £10,000 are eligible and could save thousands.

In conjunction with rate relief campaigners leaseholdersunited.com, UKFast launched a major PR push in early September to alert small businesses in the Manchester area to the £16m of unclaimed tax rebates available.

At the time we urged rapid action as the deadline for backdated claims ran out at the end of September 2008. However, I am delighted to say that this deadline has been extended to September 2010. So as the recession bites hard for some, small businesses should make sure that they claim now to get the rate relief that they are entitled to.

To find out if you are eligible to make a claim or to get details on how to claim, visit leaseholdersunited.com.

Tags: business_policy, manchester_businesses, workplace
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