The nebusiness supplement, which is part of the Evening Gazette, published this article on Wednesday 19th January 2012 about Visualsoft:

A Stockton company has announced that it will be expanding for the second time in 12 months.

Ecommerce agency, Visualsoft, has announced it will create a number of new positions after a surge of continued growth in recent months. The company is looking to recruit for new roles, including positions in its development and online marketing teams.

Visualsoft offers various services including web design, development and online marketing to online retailers. The award-winning company has established itself as an ecommerce expert, developing features to enhance the online shopping experience and ultimately leading to increased conversions for its clients.

Since the company was established in 1998, its industry experience and expertise have helped it to gain more than 500 ecommerce clients from across the UK, ranging from high street footwear giants such as Charles Clinkards to sector-acclaimed independent fashion boutiques including Triads, Have to Love and Jules B.

Since 2009, the company has grown at an average rate of 110% year on year, with employee numbers rocketing from 22 in 2009 to 86 at the present day, with experts in fields ranging from online marketing and communications to web development and programming.

Just last month, Visualsoft announced that it would also be expanding its office space, and has recently secured a contract for offices in London, as well as occupying its two offices on Portrack Lane.

The report, published by analysts at Oxford Economics suggests that major chains such as Dixons and Phones4U are missing out on large amounts of income and online traffic because their websites and smartphone apps are not user friendly.

Morrisons has been hit hard recently, apparently failing to latch onto a potential £314 million in online sales due to the chain having no eCommerce platform for it to attract customers. More recently, Morrisons has announced that it is working hard to create its own web presence, but not quick enough by the looks of it, as in the meantime rivals like Tesco and Asda have a head start in the market.

Retail expert, Paul-Jervis Heath, told the Guardian that the problem lies not only in a lack of usability but a lack of consistency between the various platforms for safe shopping online. He pointed out that while many retailers may have a website and a mobile app, the links between these two services may not exist, making it inconvenient for shoppers to buy something on one if they cannot then check up on or amend their order via the other.

This also applies to providing information, because consumers expect to be able to find out about products and services offered by a retailer whether they are on their mobiles or on their laptops. If there is not a unification of such services, customers are put off using either.

This research highlights the importance of eCommerce, and the impact which not selling online could have on a business. Its vital that a company has a user friendly website which can allow customers to browse, locate and shop for items with ease. Visualsoft has over 12 years experience in the industry, and we offer a wide range of services including eCommecre design and development and mCommerce platforms. For more information on how we could enhance your business online, get in touch with one of the team today.

With many high street giants starting their seasonal sales as the clock ticks past midnight on Christmas morning, it’s anticipated that shoppers will be turning to the Internet in the hope of picking up bargains and items that may have been missed on the high street due to the recent period of bad weather.

In a trend that has already been dubbed ‘Clickmas’, five million online purchases are predicted on Christmas day, and another 9.3million on Boxing Day with a value of over £300million, taking the total for the two days to a staggering £450million.

The increase comes as a growing number of people are giving download vouchers to loved ones as gifts, allowing purchases of music, films and books from the web. Last year, Apple’s iTunes store had its biggest day of the year on Christmas Day – up a massive 800% on the day before.

Other factors such as the looming VAT rise, which takes effect on 4th January, are thought to play a big part in the increase of sales on Christmas Day, as well as the arrival of the iPad and other hand held tablet computers which makes internet shopping even more accessible on the move.

The predictions are backed by analysis from payments company Visa, which estimates that 960,000 transactions, worth £36m in total, will be made on Visa cards on Christmas Day.

As a provider of leading eCommerce websites, we hope that all of our clients are part of the Merry Clickmas trend, and would also like to take this opportunity to with them all the best for 2011!

In a time when recession is hitting employment in the region hard, here at Visualsoft we are continuing to bring the very best talent into our team as we push ever-closer to the 60 staff barrier.

Three months ago, we welcomed two first class graduates, Andy and Dave, into Visualsoft HQ. In addition, we welcomed our latest apprentice, John, into our Online Marketing Team. We are currently holding final interviews for several more roles, which will push our total staff number to 55.

The recent recruitment drive has caught the local media’s attention, with Visualsoft yesterday the feature of an article in the Evening Gazette.

We are proud that others in the area are recognising our good work and the opportunities that we are providing for people in the North East. Our very own Director, Richard Bendelow, said: “We hope our efforts make a difference to local graduates and apprentices and other agencies in our region follow suit.”

In the article, Bill Greenwood, senior careers Adviser at Teesside University, told the Gazette: “When so much news focuses on the difficulties companies are facing, it’s wonderful to find an employer determined to invest in the future and in nurturing the talents our graduates have to offer. I congratulate Visualsoft on its outstanding success.”

For more information on any of our eCommerce Solutions please contact Visualsoft e-Commerce today on 0870 766 1092.

Pritchards, which has a store in Hereford, has remained a family business since opening in 1836. In December, its new website was built and launched online by our team of award-winning website designers and developer. It has since received about 30,000 unique visitors.

According to the feature in Drapers, Pritchards said that it had fulfilled web orders to customers as far afield as Canada, Thailand and China, and it was also starting to become popular in Denmark too.

Speaking to Drapers, Murray Eversham, Pritchards website manager, said: “The classic British brands we stock are doing very well in China and Hong Kong – they can’t get enough of Paul Smith.” He also said that the Paraboot label it stocks was performing strongly with overseas shoppers because the brand is hard to find.

It is always great to see our clients go on to enjoy success, and Pritchards is another in a long list of Visualsoft clients to benefit from our eCommerce expertise.

To visit the Pritchards website log onto www.pritchards.co.uk, or to read the Drapers article in full, click here.