Christmas Day and Boxing Day sales reach £388m online

The stores may have been closed onn Christmas Day, but online shoppers were out in spades. Sales-savvy online consumers spent £123 million, according to estimates by Retail Decisions (ReD). On Boxing Day, online sales climbed

even further, soaring to an estimated total of £265 million. The tradition of sales beginning on Boxing Day may still be clinging on in parts of the high street, but online bargains are also being offered.

Retailers such as John Lewis enticed an early spending frenzy this year by luring consumers with exclusive online sales starting as early as Christmas Eve. ReD’s figures show that Christmas Day shopping peaked just before Britain tucked into turkey, with 12.58am tipped as the busiest online shopping minute.

The growing appeal of 24/7 armchair shopping has been reflected in the number of consumers who decided to click - not queue - this Christmas. ReD reports that combined online sales in November and December 2010 exceeded the same period last year by 2.5 billion. Carl Clump, ReD CEO, comments: “This represents a 23% rise in online retail sales and demonstrates how essential the internet is to our daily lives. This year’s particularly bad weather dissuaded many from braving the high street crush and saw online gift buying increase. When the snow led to canceled deliveries the internet again provided a solution, with big brands allowing customers to purchase online but pick-up in-store by offering ‘click and collect’ services."

Image: Online shopping