Recent reports have shown a shift in consumer confidence towards online retailers. For the past few years trends have consistently shown online retailers battling to raise their users' confidence levels, with considerable difficulty. It has taken time for users' confidence in online security to grow, and it has also taken time for online retailers to learn from their previous mistakes, and enhance the overall online experience for their users.

A recent study by the UK National Consumer Satisfaction Index has scored a range of retailers including supermarkets, electricals, petrol stations, department stores and ecommerce sites. The results were as follows:

• Supermarkets = 74
• Electricals = 74
• Petrol Stations = 75
• Department Stores = 76
• Ecommerce Sites = 82

The highest scoring ecommerce retailers were, predictably, Amazon (85) and Play (87), with Ebay scoring a lower 79.

So what does this mean for the future of ecommerce? Well, it's certainly good news for online retailers, as the tide appears to have turned, and users seem to be growing in confidence when using the web to make purchases. During this economic downturn, when consumer confidence is at an all time low, it is good to see the online world breaking this trend.