Cyber Monday Survey: Canadian Execs Weigh in on Web Site Importance - Will Holiday Splurge trigger online Surge?
Poll shows 60% say that reliance on corporate web site is growing each year; one in three (33%) admitting that future online sales could become more important than offline sales. Despite current economic conditions, 77% of those conducting e-commerce believe online transactions will stay the same or increase.
Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) November 26, 2008 -- As Cyber Monday, the year-end holiday season's purported busiest online retailing day in North America fast approaches on December 1st, a recent Leger/Fusepoint Managed Services survey of senior Canadian business executives details that 60% say their dependence on the corporate web site is increasing each year, with one in three (34%) stating there is a direct link between their corporate bottom line success and the corporate web site. Still, somewhat surprisingly, only about half (49%) have a back-up plan in case the site goes down.
"Corporate web sites are a vital avenue used to reach consumers and communicate with customers, and they must remain accessible and available 24x7 - especially in an economic climate where organizations must make every dollar count," said Randy Fougere, Vice President, Fusepoint Managed Services. "Maintaining a high availability web site during the busy holiday season should be a top priority for organizations."
In fact, 77% percent of respondents whose corporate sites conduct e-commerce believe the current state of the economy will have little effect on their online transactions, as one in three (33%) believe their company's online transactions will increase this holiday season on average by 15%. Sixty percent of all senior decision makers say that customers are finding them by searching online, and nearly one-quarter (23%) say they'd rather lose their top sales guy than not have a web site.
Prepared for the Holidays, or False Sense of Security?
Seventy-eight percent of Canadian executives report being confident in their website's operation during the busy holiday season, despite the majority (56%) doing nothing additional to prepare for it. Still, 47% of senior decision makers admit their website has been down unexpectedly in the past, while the majority (71%) suggest their site was back online within a few hours. Unfortunately, one-quarter (24%) said it took a day or longer to get back up and running. The stark reality is that one in five (20%) decision makers say they can only accept one hour or less of downtime without it impacting brand reputation or the bottom line.
Surprisingly, half (48%) of all decision makers have no idea when the spikes in online activity occur on their site. Of those that do, 20% say the greater web site activity occurs during evenings (after 5 p.m.) and 20% answered prime time day time (10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.).
Are Canadian e-Commerce Sites PCI Compliant?
Senior executives with an e-commerce presence were also asked about their organizations understanding of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). PCI standards were developed by credit companies to safeguard consumers' credit information from hackers and thieves. Non-compliance can result in fines, restrictions or possibly permanent expulsion from card acceptance programs.
Poll results show that while three in five (59%) feel their web site does a good job of staying current with the latest security and e-commerce transaction standards, one in four (25%) worry their web site may do down during a critical time while only one quarter (27%) of those conducting e-commerce transactions are PCI compliant.
Meanwhile, of those who have heard of PCI compliance standards but have yet to come into compliance, over three-quarters (78%) say their business would see an increase in overall security by becoming PCI compliant and 77% say their business would see an increase in customer confidence when providing personal information. Additionally, almost half (47%) of respondents say their company would have a significant if not greater competitive advantage by implementing such regulations.
About the survey
The online survey was conducted for Fusepoint Managed Services by Leger Marketing between November 3 and 16, 2008. A total of 800 Canadian corporate decision makers including Senior Manager, Vice President or Director, CEO, CFO, COO or President and Owner whose web site is used as a means of communicating with customers/clients. Results from a sample this size can be considered accurate with within 3.5% 19 times out of 20.
About Fusepoint Managed Services
Founded in 1999, Fusepoint is a privately held company with offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City. Through our proven record of success we have built a loyal base of over 400 customers and strong, strategic relationships with Canada's leading technology and communication companies.
Fusepoint's managed IT solutions are SLA-guaranteed, scalable and designed to reduce cost structures while mitigating risk. Fusepoint is also SAS 70 Type II, CICA 5970, and most recently Tier 1 PCI compliant, which means our processes are rigorously and continuously audited by accredited third parties and consistently operate at the highest levels within the industry. For more information, visit http://www.fusepoint.com
Roger Hamshaw
Director Marketing Fusepoint
905.363.3796
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