Voucher website: Ecommerce and high street can work together

According to data recently published by the British Retail Consortium, the month of May saw a drop of approximately 2.1 percent in retail sales. During the same period, growth in the online retail sector declined by 10.4 percent.

These figures, according to voucher code website DiscountVouchers.co.uk, indicate that the retail sector needs to increase its creativity and expand the services it offers to its customers.

Doug Scott, managing director of the online business, acknowledged that the difficult economic climate makes it a challenge for many people to spend as much money as they otherwise would. Nevertheless, he said, it is possible to increase the success of both online and brick-and-mortar businesses, if the sectors collaborate.

"The fact is that online needs high street's offers to help drive more shoppers into the high street stores," Scott said. "Online retailers and high street providers can work together. The internet is there to complement the high street shopping experience, not replace it."

For many brick-and-mortar businesses, getting started in the world of ecommerce is relatively simple. By setting up a website with an online catalogue and internet payment gateway, a company can offer its wares to potential customers worldwide.