Happy Mondays for British web retailers

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 10 Dec 2008 at 08:51

Monday was the biggest online shopping day in Britain this year, with sales up 14% on the comparable day last year to £320 million, according to internet retail industry group IMRG.

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The second Monday in December has been dubbed "Cyber Monday" by the online retail industry because it has traditionally marked the high point of Christmas shopping on the internet.

But IMRG says that with delivery times improving, there is still time for a stronger performance next week. "We may even see next Monday being bigger still, which would be the first time ever that the third Monday in December marked the year's peak," it claims.

The rise in sales beat the previous Monday's performance by £20 million and was accompanied by an 18% rise in sales volumes. "Online sales are holding up well, considering the economic conditions," IMRG says.

However, Monday was only the third-biggest day this year in terms of traffic to retail websites, suggesting shoppers are researching thoroughly, both in stores and online, before committing to a purchase.