A third of consumers are planning to spend at least half of their Christmas budget online, whilst 1 in 4 will buy up to three quarters of their shopping on the internet." These findings from a survey by IMRG* confirm the growing importance of ecommerce in the UK.

Online retail is responsible for almost all of the current growth in retail sales, while sales in many high street stores are, at best, stagnant. Around 20% of all retail sales are now online.

Independent retailers have much to gain, or lose, depending on their strategy in respect to ecommerce. A good ecommerce website will bring significant rewards, but one that is poorly designed and managed will hold back growth. Ecommerce is a must-have sales channel, and the ability for you to manage the online store effectively is a key aspect of ensuring its success.

The controls that you have in your physical stores need to be replicated online. Price changes, offers, promotions and merchandising must be kept up-to-date, and orders managed daily. A good ecommerce system will give you this day-to-day control of your website in a way that does not require technical knowledge, using a content management system.

A content management system, often shortened to CMS, provides a browser-based backoffice to your ecommerce website so you can control all of the management functions, and this should be at the heart of any good ecommerce platform.

A quality CMS separates the technical aspects of the website from the content, allowing you to add content, upload product pictures, click a couple of tick boxes and, hey presto, your changes and additions are uploaded, polished up with the correct ‘look and feel' of your website and immediately visible on the internet. However, not all content management systems are the equal, content management systems differ considerably in functionality and, importantly, usability. If you currently sell online but don't have an intuitive method of managing your ecommerce website, it's time to ask important questions such as:

How much direct control do you have over your website?
Which elements of content can you manage yourself?
Which elements can't you control?
Do you get automatic alerts for things that need attention?
Do expired offers need to be manually removed?

Key areas that must be within your control are:

• The homepage content
• Products and pricing
• Information pages such as delivery, terms of business etc
• News and events 
• Promotions and offers
• Order management
• Customer records

One thing is for certain, and that is ecommerce is going to continue to be a growth area of retail sales in the foreseeable future. A good ecommerce website is a requirement for all retailers, and choosing one with an intuitive and well-featured content management system will help to set your business apart among your competitors.

*Source IMRG.org. Online retail trade body in the UK