November 29, 2006 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- UK-based Web hosting provider Fasthosts (fasthosts.co.uk) announced on Wednesday that Web sites of small to medium sized businesses may not be able to handle increases in traffic over the holiday season, causing the sites to collapse.
Fasthosts says many UK businesses are set to miss out on their share of £5 billion in online Christmas spending because they are unable to cope with surges in Web site traffic.
The company warns that SMBs running their Web sites on in-house, single server solutions are in danger of driving customers to competitors or larger online traders by having slow and unresponsive sites. With half of the UK's adult population shopping online for Christmas 2005, and spending an average of £208 each during the 10-week run-up to Christmas, the need for a Web site to perform well under increased demand is essential, says Fasthosts.
"As online competition increases, it amazes me that so many SMEs are willing to chance their Christmas sales. Ensuring that your Web site is supported by the correct infrastructure is vital to provide a quality buying experience," says Stephen Holford, director of product marketing, Fasthosts. "Having the right sort of hosting package is key if businesses are going to reap the benefits of the Christmas revenue window. To make this Christmas a success for SMEs, the right hosting is as important as turkey and mince pies."
