January online sales surge

Online shoppers spent more on the web in January than in any previous January, figures show. Some £4.5bn was spent last month, a 75% rise compared with January last year, said industry body the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG). Sales were dominated by clothing, which saw a year-on-year rise of about a third. But the amount spent fell from the record level seen during the pre- Christmas rush in December.

The equivalent of £74 for every person in the UK was spent online in January, the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index found. "The index shows that January sales are as large a phenomenon online as they are on the high street, with the overall online market continuing to show strong growth," said Anthoula Madden, vice- president at Capgemini UK's consumer products and retail team.

"The high growth in clothing suggests that much of this spending is being driven by shoppers treating themselves to the items missing from their Christmas stockings." The growth in sales volume over the last three months was more than double that of the same period last year. It was at the highest level since January 2003, the index based on about 60 online retailers found. Clothing sales was up by 32%, health and beauty by 18%.

In separate research, consumer group Which? found that high-value purchases could often be found cheaper online.

Image: Shopping cart