The latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index reveals that shoppers in the UK spent a total of £7.9 billion online during December. Sales were up by 12.2 per cent on November and by 16.5 per cent on December 2010, with the Index value reaching a record high.

A total of £68 billion was spent online in 2011, which resulted in the Index increasing by 16 per cent. For 2012, IMRG and Capgemini predict the Index will record a further 13 per cent growth, with total e-retail sales estimated to be worth £77 billion by year end.

The December figures show that online retailers had a successful Christmas, mirroring the high street success reported by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) of 2.2 per cent growth. e-tail now accounts for 17 per cent of the total UK retail market and is likely to increase with the rise of mobile commerce and the huge numbers of tablet computers sold last year.

Chris Webster, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini, says: "Strong online sales over Christmas were even more impressive since they built on a 25 per cent year on year growth from 2009 to 2010. During 2011 we saw continued pressure on sales as shoppers became savvier in looking for bargains and this continued in the run up to Christmas.

"The rapid rise of mobile in 2011 will continue into 2012 as consumers became familiar with shopping via tablet devices and smartphones some taking advantage of their recent Christmas presents. This changing landscape will open up a myriad of opportunity for retailers including the integration of stores into the multi-channel world and the potential of new capabilities like location based markerting services."

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