Some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are avoiding moving their business online, according to a spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
The FSB said today that due to either technical unfamiliarity or fear of online fraud only a relatively small number for SMEs were taking advantage of internet retail.
"The basic reason why a lot of members don't fancy selling online at the moment is either because they're not internet experts, so they would need advice from somebody else," he said.
He added that many people did not fully understand what financial safeguards were in place.
"They're very concerned about online fraud so they don't know what their legal protections are that way."
According to a recent study by the FSB, six per cent of SMEs were buying goods on eBay, 4.5 were trading on the site and on the internet as a whole 18.4 per cent of smaller companies were selling online.
