E-commerce pushes ahead of retail sales

Friday, 20 February 2009 14:04

The phenomenon can be explained to the level of comfort and ease that online shopping provides. With online stores taking steps to provide safe payment options, the figures are predicted to rise further during the year. Attractive discounts and other packages provided by the e-tailers have ensured that more and more people turning to the Internet for the best deals.

Online sales and repair sectors saw a rise in sales by 8.3%, the biggest since records began in 1986. The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that internet retail sales now represent 3.7% of overall retail sales. This is equivalent to an online spend of £178 million per week during January this year. The online retail sales percentage has been growing steadily from 3.1% in January 2008 to 3.5% in December and now 3.7%. The report also reveals that people are now more interested in fixing rather than buying things.