In the last few weeks, more and more statistics have revealed a surge in people shopping and buying things on the internet.

Big players such as Littlewoods, Argos and Tesco have seen the number of extra online shoppers increase by millions, but how is this affecting smaller businesses within Liverpool, and how does this change the way creative industries should be working?

I believe that there should be a more consultative approach – seek first to understand, then design a strategy, and then execute the plan.

As a company, we have recently been approached by a well-known business who had spent a lot of money on their website.

Their business model relies upon visibility online to generate revenue, along with some functionality.

We were amazed to find that what they currently have simply doesn’t deliver what they want.

Yes, they had a professional looking website and brand, but no attention had been made to ensure the site was visible to their target audience. Surely, as an industry, we can’t allow this to happen.

If we’re serious about helping local businesses make money online and thereby adding value through investment and creating more jobs in the city, we must help them win online.

A lot of work happening in our industry is too transactional, eg, “we provide this, you get this” without any perception of value or what the client will get during and after the work. The web is transparent. If people know what they are doing, we can track, test, learn and apply what is happening when we attract, capture and convert leads and customers for the site 

In the current climate, we have to go that extra mile and provide a service that delivers results more than ever, ensuring that local businesses have just as much of a chance as the big players