Whether you view the current economic climate as a mere slowdown or a full blown recession, the next twelve months will force all but the most well off consumer to do some serious belt tightening.

For my firm, TrafficBroker, and the online industry as a whole, the last few years have been a time of tremendous growth. So, will the overall economic downturn mark a turning point and a slowdown for internet brands?

Of course some will suffer, but internet businesses are better suited to weathering the storm than most. Some look set to not only ride the storm but actively capitalise on shifts in consumer behavior that will see less impulse and more consideration.

What the internet does well is support the savvy consumer who's prepared to search out a bargain. The last 10 years have seen the high street suffer more and more at the hands of slick ecommerce operators who offer competitive pricing and reliable delivery.

Customers and loyalty have slowly shifted from the giants of the high street to the giants of dotcom. This trend will doubtless accelerate further as marketers see the returns from expensive offline marketing campaigns like TV and radio fall further and further behind cost effective trackable channels like search marketing.

I’ve been working to ensure that TrafficBroker has been at the forefront of this move towards online search, investing heavily in sophisticated tools to help companies make the most out of the online world ensuring their products are found and bought.

Price comparison sites should also benefit from the increase in price sensitivity. Those that offer a little extra, such as cashback or discount voucher codes, are rapidly gaining in popularity. Consumers are on the hunt for bargains and the internet not only offers them the cheapest prices but also the opportunity to receive further discounts – that’s a huge incentive to stay off the high street.

So what about online advertising companies? During recession, advertising budgets will tighten, forcing brands to look for a greater ROI on their advertising investment. Brands are likely to shift towards the CPA model (Cost Per Action) where they only pay for each sale generated rather than simply a click to their site. This risk free model is becoming more attractive to advertisers who are now facing much more pressure to justify their spend.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months and whether the economic slowdown will be as bad as Darling has been predicting. What is certain is that there are still lots of opportunities out there for companies who are ready to grasp them, and online entrepreneurs will remain among those thriving despite the difficult climate.