Online spending up 19% during first half of 2011
Latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index have revealed a better-than-expected performance for online sales during the first six months of 2011.
The figures revealed that UK shoppers have spent £31.5 billion online so far this year, up 19% on the same period last year and 1% ahead of IMRG and Capgemini’s growth forecast back in January.
A total of £5.3 billion was spent online in June, 21% more than June 2010, and equivalent to £86 per person.
The growth in online spending has been boosted by the struggling economy driving consumers to seek out bargains online as well as the summer downpours increasing the appeal of in-door shopping. Clothing sold particularly well during the month, with a 31% increase on June 2010.
Chris Webster, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini said: “Bank holidays, soggy weekends and major sporting events encourage us to go online for our shopping – it’s quick, it’s convenient and we can do it 365 days a year.”
He added: “It will be interesting to see whether the Index can maintain growth off the back of strong growth in the second half of 2010.”
David Smith, chief marketing & communications officer at IMRG commented: “The rise in June of 21% is actually the strongest y-on-y growth recorded in the Index since January, so online is really booming.
“The modern retail market is dictated by what the consumer wants, and online is becoming ever-more central to our shopping behaviour. Both Sports Direct and SuperDry have released figures recently showing that their e-commerce sales have doubled in the space of a year from around 4% to 8% of total revenue. These results clearly demonstrate the potential for multichannel retailers to greatly increase their margins by successfully integrating their available channels.”
