One in 10 retail sales now takes place online, and £80bn is either spent on or influenced by the internet, according to research published last week.
The IMRG Index survey shows that £30bn of retail spending occurs online, a further £20bn of other spending is conducted online and £30bn in offline spending is influenced by internet information or research.
Online retail sales have grown by 45 per cent year-on-year for the past six months and have increased 2,000 per cent in the past six years.
Retail giant Sainsbury’s announced a 25 per cent increase in online sales in May, with average weekly orders rising from about 35,000 to 47,000.
‘A couple of years ago we put expansion on hold while we got the basics right,’ said a Sainsbury’s spokeswoman. ‘We reworked the site to make it faster, easier to navigate, and to include more details and products.’
The spokeswoman says Sainsbury’s is now in a good position to expand its online service and is expecting steady growth.
IMRG Index director of public policy Andrew McClelland said: ‘We are forecasting a rise in online sales from £19.2bn last year to £30bn this year.
‘Many high-street retailers are getting behind their online channels and tempting people online. The brand recognition offered by high-street stores helps to give consumers the confidence to shop online.’
Similar growth should continue for the next few years before it flattens out, says McClelland. But retailers should continue to invest in online infrastructure.
‘Because many organisations went online in the 1990s, the technology they invested in could be considered legacy,’ he said. ‘So further improvements are important.’
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