Figures published today confirm that online sales reached £7.7bn in the 10 weeks leading up to Christmas, marking a 54 per cent rise compared to last year.
IMRG reports that online sales exceeded all expectations, with sales of close to a billion pounds a week during the first three weeks of December.
British consumers spent more than £3bn online in November, and £3.6bn in December.
IMRG managing director Jo Tucker says the strong online sales made up for soft autumn and resulted in annual online sales of £30.2bn, up on the forecast of £30bn.
‘Consumers just could not get enough of internet shopping at Christmas; web sites struggled to cope with the soaring traffic levels, stocks sold out early, and delivery companies were at full stretch dispatching the 200 million parcels ordered,' she said.
‘Sales demand outstripped supply capacity by a significant margin, otherwise sales would have been higher still.’
Online sales were strong across all sectors, with gifts such as flowers and pre-wrapped items up 142 per cent, clothing and accessories rising 64 per cent and electrical sales up 50 per cent.
Littlewoods Shop Direct Group ecommerce director Neal Preece says online sales rose 22 per cent to £102m for the nine weeks up to Christmas.
‘Last year, the business took a quarter of all sales online and this year a third of all sales were made online,’ he said. ‘The post Christmas sale has gone to plan, with less sale stock because of a good Christmas.’
Working with eDigitalResearch, IMRG established that online sales peaked on Wednesday, 27 December with sales 30 per cent higher than the next best day of Monday, 11 December.
‘The peak in evening internet shopping peak is a recent phenomenon that has become possible with consumers’ acquisition of broadband at home,’ said eDigitalResearch director Chris Russell. ‘The evening peak between 7pm and 9pm is now at 80 per cent of lunchtime sales, when the highest sales are recorded between 1pm and 2pm.’
IMRG chief executive James Roper said: ‘The internet is all about independence, immediacy, attitude, modernity. The trend line shows e-retail growth continues to accelerate and I expect it will continue to for several years, as more investment and improved technology makes everything about online shopping better.’
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