Businesses must improve to take advantage of after hours shoppers

Small businesses need to improve their online facilities if they are to capitalise on the growing number of people shopping outside of office hours, Constructaquote.com has said.

Constructaquote.com, a provider of business insurance for small and medium-sized businesses, found that a massive 43% of its online queries were received outside the hours of 9am-5pm last month. This represents a significant increase of 8% when compared to September 2008.

The figures highlight the importance of firms having effective online systems in place to handle the customer’s demands when staff members aren’t readily available. Part of this is ensuring that they have a website that is informative and easy to engage with.

Lyndon Wood, Chairman of Constructaquote.com, commented:

"Do not assume that the customer understands how to use the website and has knowledge of your industry. Use clear, concise links to correctly labelled pages and make help buttons available as often as possible."

The results also demonstrate the need for websites to have intelligent functionality in place to convert enquiries online. The online sector has seen substantial growth in recent years, and encouraging customers to transact online could help thousands of small businesses find their footing during the economic downturn.

Mandeep Kaler, who is in charge of online operations at Constructaquote.com, stated:

"Our research shows that a lot of small businesses do not stop working when they get home. In view of these findings, we recognise that it is essential that we are able to supply our products no matter what the time is.

"We will continue to invest in making our website as user-friendly as it can be, with a particular emphasis on our quote engine’s capabilities. Our current quote system is being enhanced to make the customer's path much clearer from start to finish."

Ends

Contact Information

James Barnett
Marketing
Constructaquote.com
Barclay House, 2 - 3 Sir Alfred Owen Way, Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly, CF83 3HU
Tel: 02920 849 543

Email: jbarnett@constructaquote.com


About Constructaquote.com: Constructaquote.com specialises in providing competitive insurance quotations for a range of UK businesses and tradesmen. Established in 2007, and part of the Moorhouse Group, Constructaquote.com compares quotes for a variety of insurance types from a range of top insurers.

The types of business insurance available via Constructaquote.com include public liability insurance, employers& liability insurance, professional indemnity insurance, shop insurance, goods in transit insurance and van insurance.