Growth was up 16 per cent on last year. In November, for the first time this year, every sector tracked by the Index saw positive monthly and yearly growth. In particular, sales of shoes and accessories grew ahead of the Christmas party season, by 32 per cent and 108 per cent respectively. But the growth in sales of clothes (18 per cent) failed to match this, demonstrating that shoppers may be updating old looks in favour of splashing out on a new wardrobe. Consumers matched their online spending on party wear with alcohol purchases. Sales of beers, wines and spirits saw a strong monthly growth of 53 per cent.
IMRG's CEO, James Roper, comments: “While we would naturally expect to see a monthly increase in online sales during this time of the year, it is perhaps surprising that we are continuing to see yearly growth during these otherwise difficult times for retailers. This is a sure sign that High Street retailers should look to diversify their activities by fully embracing the online space, as their customers have. Further evidence of this is seen within recent results from Hitwise, which found that many of the fastest growing retailers online are familiar High Street names. We expect the online sales figure to be even higher next month as people do their last minute Christmas shopping.”
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