£1 in every £5 spent is via computer, tablet or mobile
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Some 18.3 % of all retail spending - which does not include food - is made via the internet, according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
This is the highest figure on record and believed to be considerably higher than the rest of Europe and even the USA.
The BRC said total retail sales in October were up by 2.6 per cent on the same month last year. However, it picked out the internet as being the star performer, saying: ‘Online sales of non-food products in the UK grew 12.1 per cent in October versus a year earlier.
‘The online penetration rate was 18.3 per cent in October, the highest level ever recorded by our monitor over 23 months.'
The IMRG, which is the trade body for web stores, predicts Christmas web sales will be up by 15 per cent on a year ago, boosted by the use of smartphones and tablets.
Spokesman Tina Spooner said: ‘Already we are seeing a number of retailers ramping up their online offering in the run up to Christmas.
‘Click & Collect, next day delivery and even one-hour delivery slots are just a few of the options on offer to attract the lucrative festive shopper at this highly competitive time of year.'
A separate study of over 10,000 online shoppers who were asked about their shopping habits in March 2013, suggest that spending via mobile phones and tablets will accelerate over the next five years, growing from £7.9 billion in 2013 to hit £23.1 billion in 2018.
The study found that 38% of online shoppers researched goods in store prior to purchasing online. Rubin added: "This appears to be a major concern for retailers with a physical presence. However, with only 7% of mobile phone shoppers completing transactions in a store; there is still a major opportunity to convince them to make the transaction through the store itself or through its own website.
"This requires strong customer service and engagement, but with 57% of online shoppers comparing prices between websites, it is also essential that retailers with homogenous products match or come close to pureplay pricing."
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