UK shoppers spent an estimated £5.7 billion online in April, a year-on-year growth of 10 per cent and equivalent to £112 per person, according to the latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.

Although this growth level comes in lower than IMRG and Capgemini’s 13 per cent estimate for the year, April 2011 was a strong performing month, boosted by the Royal Wedding, with the market recording 19 per cent growth and beer, wine and spirits up 55 per cent.

While the market managed double-digit growth, the wettest April on record clearly impacted upon consumers’ desires to update their summer wardrobes as the clothing sector recorded growth of just one per cent, the lowest in the 11 years it has been tracked in the Index.

This is some contrast with April 2011, which was the warmest April since 1910. The soggy weather did however have a positive impact on the travel sector, which saw sales jump 20 per cent year-on-year, as Brits flocked online to search for dryer destinations.

As more and more retailers offer mobile-optimised websites to attract busy shoppers with easy and fast browsing/ordering, payment and delivery options, the number of Brits converting to mobile transactions increases. M-commerce in April registered a huge spike of 353 per cent year-on-year.

The average conversion rate of m-commerce has been improving as well. The conversion rate for m-retail in April was only 2.4 per cent lower than the e-retail conversion rate, at 1.3 per cent, compared with 0.8 per cent in April last year.

The launch of the iPad3 at the end of March played a very positive role in helping the electrical sector reach a year-on-year growth of 26 per cent, the highest since August 2010.

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