Expert says high-speed broadband access could push online retail to the fore

Improvements in broadband access speed may mean online retail will become the primary way in which U.K. consumers make purchases, according to the communications director of a server hosting company.

Jonathan Bowers of UKFast said recently that - coupled with fast delivery from businesses - high-speed internet access could lead to a spike in interest for online retailers.

"It can probably make the internet the biggest retail platform in the U.K.," he asserted.

A surge in online shopping would need to be met by increased website capacity among retailers, he added. That means that payment gateways and the shopping sites themselves would need to have sufficiently robust features and enough bandwidth to cope with the demand.

Virgin Mobile recently reported that it has seen an increase in high-speed broadband subscribers, which may be a sign that Bowers is correct, experts say.

However, others caution that it's equally important to make sure a site's ability to process online payments is matched by its commitment to securing the personal data of its customers.