UK Web sites fall behind American cousins

Online retailers in the UK will lose out to US counterparts if company executives do not get to grips with the Internet.

This is according to a report from management consultants, Shelley Taylor and Associates that evaluated a total of 100 online stores in the UK and US ranging from booksellers to office suppliers, health and beauty to sporting goods.

The only UK company to make the top five was Jungle.com while four of the bottom five are from this side of the Atlantic: Elonex, JJB Sports, Simply Computers and Waitrose. The American companies who featured in the top five positions were Toys 'R' Us, Beyond.com, Planet Rx and CDNow.

Shelley Taylor, founder of Shelley Taylor Associates, admitted UK retailers won high marks for helping first time buyers navigate their sites. However, she added: "Apart from online buyer guides, which 50 per cent of UK sites have compared to 37 per cent in the US, the US is ahead in almost every area."

Taylor placed the blame at the table of UK board members. "There is a huge gap in the UK between leading executives and the IT department. For example, it is not unusual for many executives to instruct secretaries to control their email," she said.

Jonathan Steel, chairman at the Bathwick Group, was not shocked by the results. "The fact that companies with bricks and mortar presence don't understand the importance of the Web comes as no surprise. What this proves is that many people in the UK retail environment are not getting [ecommerce], but they still have time to do so," he said.

Steel said that bricks and mortar companies would ultimately win as they can hang around and wait for the business-to-consumer market to pick up and rely on their high-street outlets acting as safety nets.

The 'Click-Here Commerce 2000' study surveyed 70 American and 30 UK Web sites between 15 April and 15 May using 350 proprietary evaluation criteria, such as site entry and navigation, shopping and browsing, and customer service and support.