On Line Shopping Trends

• In the last 12 years Britons have spent more than £100bn shopping online
• £3.47bn worth of goods were purchased online last month (Up 55% on previous year
• More goods becoming available online
• Clothing sales increasing rapidly
• Travel largest category (£7bn last yr) of spending followed by electrical goods (£5bn). Clothing and footwear accounts for £3.5bn (up 42% on the year)
• Clothing overtook computer sales in the US for the first time
• People are buying increasingly expensive items online (eg: sofas and fridges)
• Half UK adults now have broadband (more than 1 meg per second)
• UK internet sales expected to rise to £42bn this year (39% up on previous year) and £78bn by 2010 (accounting for 20% of retail sales)
• Only 56 of UK’s largest retailers had an online website
• UK accounts for a third of all European online retailing (and 6% globally)
• UK internet sales has come at the expense of high street sales
• Some retailers sell in stores and online (eg: Argos,Tesco and John Lewis)
• Some rely exclusively online (eg: figleaves.com; firebox.com)
• Fierce online competition is driving retailers to abandon high street
• Increasing computer driven attacks on on-line businesses
• Internet customers are far more likely to spend with an established brand or trusted retailer
• Online security still major issue for customers, businesses and banks
• Price, convenience and customer service most important

In the news

MusicTrading Online must pay the British recording industry £35m after breaking a deal not to sell imported CDs at half the retail price.

For further information contact Dr Alan E. Mitton

(contact@bircol.com: mob: +44(0)7789145722; www.bircol.com)


Bircol monitors and conducts research on on-line shopping.