Retail Figures Show Limits Of UK Recovery

18th September

Newly released figures show that recent robust spending trend in retail have dropped off in August. Following two months of growth, sales in August dipped by 1.2pc in comparison to July. The consensus figure being forecast yesterday had been for growth of 0.7pc. As well as being a reminder that economists cannot forecast anything, this also shows the bumpy ride that we are likely to face over the coming months. We have probably hit the bottom of the recession, but the recovery will be slow and lumpy for many.

We should bear in mind that these sales are 2.1% higher than August last year, but the overall picture is one of uncertainty as credit remains tight and the job market contracts.

If we contrast that with the public borrowing figures, the government decision about when to stop significant economic support and start to cut costs comes into stark relief. Until we get some clarity of when that will be we have no idea how indebted we will be when this is over, nor have we any idea how investors will react when the UK government has to borrow from the market instead of just printing money. I for one am pretty concerned about both issues.

Internet Marketing News - Bing Takes Market Share Of Internet Searches

17th September

Some encouraging signs are emerging of some competition entering the search engine market. Following a significant period of investment and of deal making with other players, Microsoft seem to be having some impact.

August data shows the total searches on MSN/Windows Live/ Bing are up 22% month-on-month. Of the leading players in the search engine market, they are the ones with the leading growth levels. Their share of internet searches increased from 9% in July to 10.7% in August. Of course Google dominates the market with 64.6% of searches, but it is good to see Bing marking an impact after launch.

Among the experts that we have spoken to, two factors emerge as giving Bing an edge. The first is the layout and appearance of results that are presented to searchers. Many feel that this is attracting search traffic to the new search engine. The second factor is an emphasis on local results. Although it is early to say that this is making a difference, many commentators feel that these local results may be giving user more relevant search results, which in turn drives search traffic.

Certainly the emergence of Bing will be worth monitoring and those who are serious about search engine marketing need to keep Bing in mind when they are planning investments.