By Heather McLean, 3 July 2002 11:00
NEWS The 100 per cent rise in sales revenues in the e-tail sector is partly attributable to bad weather, according to one online retailer. Research by the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) shows online sales have risen by over 90 per cent since May last year and in May this year the figure grew by 10 per cent on the previous month. Kevin Hague, partner at online pet supplies shop PetPlanet.co.uk claims the weather conditions have definitely boosted his company's sales of pet food. He said: "Bad weather always helps internet shopping rates and we've had bad weather throughout May and June." Total online sales for the UK during May are estimated to have hit £507m. Jeremy Palmer, ecommerce director at Majestic Wines, said: "The strength of our online operation has helped our sales. A lot of pure-play off licences that started up online around two years ago at the same time as us have largely disappeared now. And we've got their customers." Hague agreed with Palmer: "People have started to recognise that those businesses that are online now are there to stay after the market has consolidated. This has raised consumer confidence. It takes time to build up trust between a web retailer and a user." However, Palmer said: "Probably the major reason we're doing so well online is because we only started up two years ago, so by definition we started at zero per cent and something new grows steeply in its first few years."
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