Consumers in the UK will spend £13.6bn on products
bought online during the run up to Christmas, according to the
latest survey from Forrester Research.
According to a report in the Financial Times the research found
that the average Briton will spend £509 over the internet from 1
October to Christmas day, which will represent an increase of 40%
over last year.
The UK is the biggest online spending nation in Europe in the
run up to Christmas with Germany second with a total of £8bn spent
and £4.5bn in France making it number three.
Richard Dodd, head of media at the British Retail Consortium,
said the figure is higher than expected, which he puts down to the
inclusion of holidays and financial products. "We would not usually
include these. But online sales now account for 5% of total sales."
he said. He added that online are sales doubling every five
years.
He said convenience, confidence and the increase in broadband
availability and the
use of home PCs are important drivers.