Online shoppingwas up 54% last year,
with sales worth £46.6bn. This compared with the £30.2bn recorded
in 2006, says theIMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales
Index.
The index reveals that £15.2bn was spent online in October to
December alone on the run up to Christmas.
Within key sectors such as electrical goods, the research
indicates that
growth in online sales comes at the expense of high-street
retailers.
Anthoula Madden, vice-president at Capgemini UK's consumer
products and retail team, said, "Online growth has proven robust
and sustainable over the past year, increasing its share of UK
retail from 10p in the pound to 15p.
"While we are yet to see overall high-street sales decline there
can be no doubt online is growing its share at the expense of
bricks and mortar retailers, and we believe that this trend will
continue."