In brief: UK firms play the waiting game with ecommerce investments

NEWS UK companies are still not seeing a return on ecommerce investments, according to a survey published by the industry publication Telecoms Marketing Update. The magazine surveyed 150 companies from the UK's Times 500 to find that, among those who regard the Internet as a useful marketing tool, only 4 per cent believe they will ever recoup their initial investment. Internet strategies are seen mainly as a long-term investment for the future. According to the Telecom Marketing Update's editor, Geoffrey Ellis, in the short term, Web sites are no use if other parts of the business such as the workflow process and the post room are not brought into line with the same technology.