Online shoppers to smash sales records today

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 10 Dec 2007 at 11:41

Today will be the UK's biggest online shopping day ever, with sales hitting £370 million, as one in three Britons logon to avoid the hassle of the High Street.

According to figures provided by the Internet Media Retail Group (IMRG), sales on 10 December will be treble the average, with spending over the course of the month hitting an impressive £7.4 billion, up 106% on the same month in 2006.

The figures are backed by Abbey, which claims that 36% of those it surveyed where ready to do the majority of their Christmas shopping over the internet, with 13% venturing down to the High Street for just one day.

Interestingly, research from law employment firm Peninsula is warning that employers may end up picking up the tab for this online enthusiasm, as workers take an average of 50 minutes out of their working day to shop. Time off, which it estimates, will cost employers around £90 million in lost productivity.

But despite the strong figures, IMRG suggests customers are still nervous about online security, particularly ID fraud.

"These things have affected confidence, but look at the investment into online shopping that's gone in from Sainsbury's, Dixons, Play; consumers know these people, and where there's unease, having a brand that they know always helps to settle them," says CEO, James Roper.

Twenty thousand customers recently voted for their favourite online retailers in the PC Pro Awards, find out more here.