Web site ownership drops among enterprises

There are no significant changes in the proportions of enterprises using computer and having Internet access in Turkey, but a decrease is observed in the proportion of enterprises having a Web presence, a recent survey has revealed.

According to a recent survey, 90.7 percent of Turkish enterprises used computers while 88.8 percent had Internet access in January, but these numbers increased in direct proportion to the size of the enterprises, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute, or TurkStat’s, survey on information and communication technology, or ICT, usage in enterprises.

The proportion of enterprises with a Web presence, meanwhile, was 58.7 percent in January.

In the same month, the most widely used Internet connection type was DSL with 94.6 percent among those with Internet access. Some 76.3 percent of enterprises with Internet access used the Web for conducting banking and financial services, while 31.6 percent used it for training and education.

According to the survey, 77.9 percent of enterprises with Web sites provided visitors access to their product catalogs and price lists on these sites, 29.6 percent provided a privacy policy statement, a privacy seal or certification related to Web site safety, while a further 27.9 percent listed advertisements for open job positions or online job applications on their Web pages in January.

The proportion of enterprises that used the Internet for interaction with public authorities was 68.4 percent in 2008. The main purposes for interaction were to obtain information (91.7 percent) and to obtain official forms (83.1 percent).

For those not using the Internet for interaction with public authorities, 73.8 percent cited the most important reason being a preference for face-to-face contact.

According to the survey, while 16.2 percent of enterprises sent orders for products or services via computers networks, 10.1 percent of enterprises received orders for products or services via computers networks in 2008. The most favorable effects of electronic sales via the Internet were access to new markets and increasing sales potential.

The main barriers or problems to electronic sales are customers not ready to buy via the Internet (56.4 percent), products or services not suitable for e-commerce (55 percent) and security concerns related to payments or transactions (48 percent).

The survey on ICT usage in enterprises was carried out by TurkStat in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 in conformity with Statistical Office of the European Communities, or Eurostat, methodology.