Online retailers had a prosperous festive season with some companies witnessing their most profitable trading period in history.

Internet sales over the Christmas period were up 25 per cent this year, with US shoppers spending $23.2bn, according to a survey from Goldman Sachs, Nielsen/NetRatings and Harris Interactive.

Amazon.co.uk believes it achieved its best sales ever in the build up to Christmas, dispatching 400,000 items on its busiest day.

Britain's largest online retailer, Tesco.com saw a leap in shoppers buying turkeys and festive goods over the internet, reporting record deliveries in the week before Christmas.

But online auction site eBay.co.uk says it is seeing a sharp increase in post-Christmas trading, with consumers flocking to the site to ditch unwanted gifts.

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