Retailers will have to invest heavily in their
e-commerce infrastructure in the year ahead, after Christmas
trading figures showed a huge increase in visitors to retail
websites.
High street retailers experienced the biggest online growth
compared with 2005, according to intelligence service Hitwise. Web
hits were up by 107% at Waitrose, 50% at HMV, and 25% at Marks
& Spencer.
In some cases, the rise in visitors equated to even bigger sales
increases. For example, M&S's trading figures were up 5.6%
overall, but its online earnings leapt by 70%.
Andy Morris, managing consultant at Egremont Group, said web
channels were becoming key drivers of growth. "The internet can be
a key strategic platform. It is telling that the internet was
M&S's largest 'store' in the run-up to Christmas, with nine
million customers," he said.
Tesco scuppers non-food web launch
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