The something4 '2007 Easter Trend Prediction'

Research JUST for SME owners/managers!

Something4 manages the online presence and payment interfaces for more SMEs and multi-channel retailers than probably almost anyone else in the UK. Uniquely, we also don't just see one end of the transaction i.e. traffic or sales, we see the whole thing. We are now putting this wealth of information to good use by producing sector specific reports and sharing them with SME's owners and managers as a FREE and exclusive support service.

'This something4 Easter Trend Prediction' looks at the changing online trends during the Easter trading period over previous years and makes predictions as to what should happen during the Easter 2007 trading period.

Our research looks specifically at the online trends within the D.I.Y, Arts and Crafts, Health and Beauty, Professions/B2B, Educational, Home and Garden and Automotive markets; comparing statistics across various years.....

Here's what we predict for April '07.....

The SME Market in General

Website Traffic

• On average there were 451 visitors per trader per day throughout the 2005 Easter trading period.
  
• On average, website traffic has increased by 50% between Easter 2005 and Easter 2006. Something4 anticipates that there will be an average 30% increase of growth across all sectors during the Easter 2007 trading period (vs 2006).
  Website Sales
• The average number of sales per merchant continues to grow (Easter 2006 was up 18% compared to Easter 2005).
  
• The average number of sales per trader per day is 6 - an increase of 220% compared to 2002 statistics!
  
• The average click to buy rate is 1.3%, that equates to 1 in every 75 browsers making a purchase during the Easter period.
• Based on these figures, we anticipate that the average buy-to-click ratio will decline in 2007 due to high levels of increased online competition, to an average of 1 in 110

The D.I.Y Industry

Website Traffic

• The overall rate of Easter traffic growth fell dramatically in 2006 to one third of the Easter 2005 figures.
  
• However, Easter trade in general is increasing and is currently 465% higher than 2002 statistics
  
• At something4, we predict that the growth for this market will see an increase of 25% for Easter 2007 vs Easter 2006.

Website Sales

• Overall sales growth peaked during the Easter 2005 trading period, but then slowed in Easter 2006.
  
• The average buyer ratio peaked in Easter 2005, but has since been declining.
• Based on previous figures, we predict that the average number of sales will increase by 20% in 2007.

Arts and Crafts

Website Traffic

• The average number of website visits are currently over 500% higher than when our records began in 2002.
  
• Easter 2006 web visits increased by more than 50% in comparison to Easter 2005.
  
• something4 anticipates that the average number of web visits will continue to increase throughout 2007 by 55%.

Website Sales

• Web orders declined during the Easter 2005 trading period, but have since began to rise in this sector.
  
• The average buyer ratios are steadily declining and are currently at one third of the 2003 levels (an average decline of 1% to the current rate of 1 in 90).
• Based on these figures, something4 anticipates that the average number of sales will increase by 10% in 2007.

The Health and Beauty Industry

Website Traffic

• Website traffic was up almost 50% during the 2006 Easter trading period in comparison to Easter 2005.
  
• In addition to that, there has been a healthy 150% increase in website traffic since our records began in 2002.
• We forecast that traffic growth will increase by 40% in 2007.

Website Sales

• There has been a huge 67% increase in website orders during Easter 2006 in comparison to the 2005 Easter trading period.
  
• The average buyer ratio is increasing for the first time since 2003.
• Based on these results, we predict that there will be an increase of 10% (1 in 90) in the buy-to-click average ratios during 2007.

The Professions/B2B

Website Traffic

• Website traffic continues to grow in this sector, it was up by one third during the Easter 2006 trading period in comparison to Easter 2005.
• We anticipate that the traffic figures will see an increase of 65% during Easter 2007.

Website Sales

• Easter 2006 website sales are static with the Easter 2005 figures.
  
• There has been a steady decline in the average buyer ratio between 2003 and 2006, it's currently down to just over 2%.
• We forecast that the average number of sales will remain static throughout 2007.

Home and Garden

Website Traffic

• Easter 2006 witnessed a 270% increase of website traffic growth in comparison to the Easter 2005 trading period.
• With this in mind, we anticipate that website traffic will increase by 60% in 2007.

Website Sales

• The average buyer ratio is currently at 1.2% per merchant in this sector.
• We forecast that the average buyer ratio will decrease to 1 in 115 due the increased level of online competition.

The Educational Sector

Website Traffic

• There was a good increase in website visits for this industry during the 2006 Easter trading period, nearly 100% more than Easter 2005.
  
• The sector has seen steady and consistent growth since our records began in 2002.
  
• something4 expects to see a 75% increase in traffic growth for Easter 2007.

Website Sales

• As this is an information resource based sector, website sales are limited.

The Automotive Industry
(Excluding Car Sales)

Website Traffic

• This sector has witnessed steady growth of 100% per annum over recent years
• We expect the website traffic growth to continue increasing throughout 2007, with a predicted rise of 80%.

Website Sales

• The average sales growth continues to increase, we forecast that the average number of sales will rise by 15% in 2007.
• The average buyer ratios remain static.

We hope our predictions have given you a better insight as to what's happened and is currently predicted to happen within the SME marketplace during the Easter trading period.

We may have even more detailed information regarding your trader sector, so please don't hesitate to get in touch.

For More Information Please Click Here

.....So what's the conclusion?

The majority of sectors have experienced continued growth with either website visits or sales during the 2006 Easter trading period, and we anticipate that these figures will continue to increase throughout the course of this year and into 2008.

However, Easter figures conform to the annual trend revealing a slight decline in website order rates; we presume that this is due to the increased level of online competition.

COMING SOON.....

The something4 '2006 SME Trading Summary'