So, another Cyber Monday has come and gone. The IMRG stats certainly make for impressive reading: £1.4 million was spent online on Monday in just one minute (13:43). Between 13:00 and 14:00, retail sales peaked at £33 million, an increase of 21 per cent on last year.

All the same, it’s tempting to side with the argument that Cyber Monday is merely a gimmick with two main aims - to keep PR companies busy in the run up to Christmas and to get people spending. The theory goes that people decide what they are going to buy over the weekend, then head to work on Monday, get online whilst the boss isn’t looking and make their purchases. Yet I can’t help thinking of Grandparents Day - an attempt by marketing bods to create a commercial holiday that becomes a hit with marketing bods everywhere but never really clicks with consumers.

In the US, Cyber Monday takes place on a public holiday and on the Monday immediately following Black Friday. The UK’s version, however, happens on a random day in November/December. Figures from Experian Hitwise show that 6th and 7th December have been the joint busiest days for online retailers so far this year. This means that the pre-Christmas peak in visits to online retailers has moved one week closer to Christmas compared to 2008, when the busiest day was Sunday, 30th November. Who’s to say there won’t be another shift next year?

Whatever your take on Cyber Monday, it can’t be denied that online retail is set for a bumper Christmas. The IMRG says that online sales in December could well exceed its forecast of £5 billion. And, as we approach the end of a tough old year, I think we can all drink to that.