UK online retail sales recorded 11 per cent YOY increase in 2015, equating to approximately £114 billion, according to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. This is slightly under IMRG and Capgemini’s 2015 forecast of 12 per cent growth. For 2016, the prediction is the Index will record a further 11 per cent growth, with total e-retail sales estimated to be worth £126 billion by year end.

The Christmas shopping period as a whole, defined as the eight weeks between 1 November and 26 December, saw £24.4 billion spent online; a 12 per cent annual increase, and a record for the Index. The greatest concentration of sales took place during the week of Black Friday, commencing 22 November. During what has become the biggest event in the retail calendar, online sales increased 62 per cent on the previous week, with shoppers splashing out an estimated £4.3 billion on discounted goods, an increase on the 44 per cent growth recorded during the same period in 2014, and 20 per cent in 2013, before Black Friday existed in the UK.

Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG, says: “Rounding off a mixed year for e-retail, where we saw single-digit growth in several months, the UK online retail industry recorded a solid performance in December, with sales growth significantly higher than the same month in 2014. With December being the wettest since records began, it appears the unseasonal weather, together with growth in mobile commerce helped to boost online sales over the festive period. As we observed in 2014, the effect of Black Friday resulted in November being the peak month for the online retail industry as consumers brought forward much of their Christmas spending, no doubt boosted by promotional activity around Black Friday. Sales via smartphones continue to grow at a significantly higher rate than those via tablets, with sales growth during December reaching the highest recorded during 2015 at 117.5% year-on-year. While tablets continue to account for the largest share of mobile commerce, significantly, during December four in 10 m-retail sales were completed on a smartphone, compared with 28 per cent penetration in December 2014.”

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