T-Systems presents survey on “participatory web” – German Mail-Order Conference 2007: Web 2.0 still trendy

Wiesbaden/Frankfurt am Main, 11th October 2007 – The majority of online shop operators see the opportunities and advantages of Web 2.0. This is the result of a current survey of 124 German online shops carried out by T-Systems subsidiary Multimedia Solutions. The company will be presenting its results at the German Mail-Order Conference 2007 from 23rd to 25th October in Wiesbaden.
Shops are most aware of online communities and fora, at 97 percent; what they most use, however, are gadgets (37 percent) such as games or mouse mileage indicators. The surveyed shop operators considered product ratings to be particularly promising: 25 percent are already using them, but a further 57 percent intend to offer ratings in future. Tagging, a user-driven keyword system, and mash-ups, which combine existing contents and services in new ways, are associated with Web 2.0 but are not among the prevalent technologies.

When asked which Web 2.0 applications they planned to add in the future, product ratings (57 percent) were followed by fora or creating a community. Approximately 43 percent of respondents have these projects on their to-do lists. 36 percent plan stronger linking by means of mash-ups. On the other hand, most respondents were rather more wary of weblogs: Only 24 percent can see themselves integrating a weblog in future, due to the extensive effort required to manage topics and contents. Tagging is considered useful for customer orientation, but only 21 percent include it in their future projects.
But it doesn’t always have to be Web 2.0. Other topics that shop operators want to implement in future include: online surveys, votings, e-cards, virtual tours, interactive e-zines, bulletin boards or recommendation tools.
When it comes to the shop system, a majority of 57 percent currently rely on an in-house solution; 21 percent of these can see themselves switching to a leased system. The reason respondents gave for considering a switch was the option of replacing complexity with an all-in-one solution.

The survey was carried out by Dresden-based T-Systems subsidiary Multimedia Solutions in collaboration with service provider Pisacane. In total, 124 German online shops with sales of 100 million euros annually were surveyed on the subject of Web 2.0 in August 2007.
T-Systems will be presenting the results of its survey at the German Mail-Order Conference from 23rd to 25th October 2007 in Wiesbaden at its joint stand with Demandware (Hall 9, Stand 912/913).

After the trade fair, a summary will be available from www.t-systems-mms.com.

About T-Systems

T-Systems combines high-quality services for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Its extensive know-how from both worlds makes the business customer section of Deutsche Telekom a preferred partner for multi-national corporations, small and medium-sized businesses and public institutions. Worldwide, over 160,000 customers from all industries benefit from its special competence in providing integrated ICT solutions from a single source. T-Systems is the only company to offer its own complete ICT portfolio and combine IT and communication technology into new solutions.

About T-Systems Multimedia Solutions

Within T-Systems, the Multimedia Solutions business unit is responsible for developing Internet-based solutions both for large corporations and for small and medium-sized businesses. Its services include developing and operating portals for all industries, as well as cross-industry solutions for online marketing, eCommerce, information management, streaming and more. In 2007, the company won the New Media Service Ranking for the fifth year running.

More information on the company and its services is available from www.t-systems-mms.com.