SMEs find it easier to sell services than goods online, says OFT report

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have found that barriers to entry have decreased when setting up online to provide services. This is not the case with selling goods, however. This is according a report by the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT said: ‘Small businesses increasingly rely on services such as search engines, online market places and payment service providers as essential gateways to trading over the internet.’ The report added that major platforms and review sites had made it easier for SMEs to overcome reputational barriers to trading online.

The report can be found here: http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/market-studies/onlinemarketsdiscussionpaper.