Alcohol booms but electricals burn out…
Published: 26 March 2008 11:43 GMT
Online spending by UK consumers has broken previous records, racking up £4.2bn in sales last month.
According to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, this equates to £69 for every person in the UK and represents an increase of 46 per cent compared to February 2007.
silicon.com Retail & Leisure
Get the latest retail and leisure news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the R&L newsletter today!
Not all of the categories have fared equally well however. While online beers, wines and spirits sales increased by nearly 40 per cent compared to the previous month, online electricals sales fell by 12.5 per cent.
The expected levy on alcohol in the Budget was probably the cause for the surge in alcohol sales, just as consumers were finishing their January detox, according to the researchers.
Health, beauty and fashion also experienced calmer sales, possibly due to New Year sales finishing.
Capgemini UK consumer products and retail team head Anthoula Madden said in a statement: "In the light of the clear pressures that the current economic climate is placing on retailers, it is startling to see how online sales growth shows no sign of abating. However, the global recession fear is a good reminder that e-tailers cannot be complacent and need to be even more creative to keep existing customers and attract new users. Innovation and the ability to provide a truly integrated multi-channel offering will be vital to being one of the winners through an economic slowdown."
How to squeeze the last drops of savings from an outsourcing contract
Revealed: The apps you'll have on your phone in 2012
Clouds clear as Microsoft gives Azure a January launch date
UK ID cards rollout hit by delay as launch date revealed
The software that can save you big bucks? You've already got it
Marketing / Web Content and On-Line sector their product and services are in high demand, especially in the current climate. Specialised in all areas ...
Maintaining employee records and information in a secure fashion Overseeing the administration staff to ensure products are ordered in a timely ...
You will be responsible for in-bound calls and cold calling and making client database calls to ascertain the priority and potential business ...
Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Petra Papinniemi
Legal Eye: Ecommerce held back by outdated laws
No wonder no one's buying...
Matthew Cushen
E-tailers: Be choosy overseas
Markets are not always what they seem
Tim Ferguson
'If you look at iPlayer from a distance, it's still very web 1.0'
Q&A: Erik Huggers, director, BBC's Future, Media and Technology
Kit Burden
Legal Eye: Tech could brighten retailers' gloom
Regulation and recession loom
Matthew Cushen
Retailers: Look to emerging markets
Comment: Massive opportunities if you get the IT right
Julian Goldsmith
How Zavvi lost its Virginity
IT director Tony Johnson on the retailer's changing web strategy