Barclays has published fresh research into the state of UK online businesses, finding that 41 per cent of them are unable to track repeat buying and browsing on their websites.
This has prompted the bank to cite consumer relationship management as the single biggest challenge facing 27 per cent of online companies – with social media on 25 per cent not far behind.
Despite these headwinds the survey found that Britain’s online economy is in rude health, growing a healthy 57 per cent faster than the economy as a whole.
Sean Duffy, managing director and Head of technology, media and telecoms at Barclays, commented: “Too much emphasis can be placed on acquiring customers, but to build a long-term business you need loyalty, so some online businesses are missing a trick when it comes to monitoring repeat buyers and behaviours. Addressing this could have significant results in terms of profit and revenue.”