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By Sally Watson, 8 December 1999 00:01

NEWS The first comparative ecommerce study from research house, Mori, shows that Europe, and particularly the UK, is gaining on the US in knowledge and attitudes to the Internet. Researchers discovered 95 per cent of UK businesses have appointed someone at board level to be responsible for ebusiness, compared to 91 per cent in the US and only 68 per cent across Europe as a whole. European firms are just as likely to use the Internet for communication, customer care and recruitment as their US counterparts, and only slightly less likely to use it for buying products and services, and financial transactions. The research house claims security fears are a major issue, with 22 per cent of companies believing it is still the main barrier to selling online. But 39 per cent of respondents said an even bigger barrier is Internet adoption by consumers - with almost half of all UK firms waiting for more consumers and suppliers to get online. However, there is still a belief that ecommerce will have far-reaching effects on business practices, with 44 per cent of UK companies claiming it will radically change their organisation structure, compared to 38 per cent in the US. More than 40 per cent said it will change distribution channels, compared to 46 per cent in the US. Mori is forecasting that online sales will reach $65bn in the next two years. Researchers questioned board directors in 700 manufacturing, wholesale and retail companies based in the France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the US and the UK, with an annual turnover of $50m to $1bn. The survey is sponsored by enterprise application company, Intentia.