Small businesses in IT ought to take note of the current state of the online market, according to an expert in retail.

Matthew Cushen, a senior manager with Kurt Salmon Associates, explained that internet shopping in the UK is going to be more important as the months and years go on, with price comparison sites in particular playing a huge role in sales.

He explained that there are a number of websites now which are able to compare the basket price across all major retailers' sites, giving customers the chance to choose the cheapest price on individual items while also looking into the way entire shops sell things.

Mr Cushen said this "loads one of the retailers' greatest weapons", highlighting how many can choose single price promotion hard on certain offerings but also make a margin on other products.

He concluded: "So, in summary, price is increasingly important but retailers will need to continue to focus on other factors - that's product quality, shelf life and timely delivery on their online offers."

According to the most recent study by the Office for National Statistics, the volume of retail sales in August was 2.1 per cent higher than 12 months previously.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).