Retailers put IT to the test over Xmas

Around £104m will be spent online of Christmas Day alone

Specialist retailers have delivered a better online customer experience than traditional businesses with an online presence, according to research.

'Pure-play' companies such as Amazon UK and Play.com ranked first in consumer satisfaction, in the research carried out by ForeSee over the pre-festive season across the top 30 UK retailers.

EBay UK, Apple iTunes UK and Screwfix Direct came in second, third and fourth respectively.

The poll of 7,000 UK consumers found that overall satisfaction in online shopping is now ranked 67 out of 100, compared to last year's figure of 66.

A separate study by supplier Keynote shows that, in terms of availability, bricks-and-mortar businesses such as Argos, Hamleys and Tesco Direct recorded the best performance over December.

Success in the race to win customers will depend on real-world load tests before the Christmas period and adjusted end-user experience to deliver peak performance in critical processes such as product search, checkout and payment, says the study.

Trade body IMRG predicts that online spending on Christmas Day alone will reach £103.6m, up from £84m in 2007.