Internet sales hit record £13bn in the first quarter
IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index has revealed that internet sales have hit an all-time high in the UK as consumers turned to the web, shunning the high street. Anthoula Madden, Vice President, Consumer Products & Retail, Capgemini believes that consumers are finally realising the ease of shopping online.
24 April 2008
Publication
The figures from the recent IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index have underlined
the growing importance of the web to retailers as consumers flex their purchasing
power. In the first quarter of 2008, shoppers spent £13bn online, which is a 50%
increase over the same period last year and equates to each person in the UK spending
£213 online.
Amid the general slowing down of high-street sales, web sales are increasing
with an increasing realisation that e-retail will buck the trend and continue
to grow. The Index also revealed sales were strong in categories such as electronics
with consumers looking for lower prices and the advantage of home delivery.
Anthoula believes that a number of factors have pushed consumers to spend online,
including bad weather and smokers drinking at home. “The latest figures from the
IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index show that the future is not all ‘doom and
gloom’ for retailers – yet it underlines that online is an essential channel for
retailers to survive in such unstable conditions.
To read the rest of the article at The Independent, click here.
To read the press release, click here.
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