Retailers are pinning their hopes for sales growth on the internet this year, according to a Christmas survey of small and medium sized businesses.

Businesses reported an average 96 per cent increase in online sales in November and December last year, compared to the same period 12 months ago.

Most of the increase came from customers spending more online, however the overall number of online shoppers also rose 30 per cent.

Most businesses expect to see more growth through the internet than traditional channels, with 75 per cent of respondents expecting online sales to grow in 2007 compared to 25 per cent that expect to see offline growth.

Companies that sell online generate, on average, about 27 per cent of their business, according to the report authors Actinic.

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Further reading

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