UK online spending rises by 22 per cent

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 13:27 by Graham Miller

The revenue generated from shopping online in the UK during May 2010 was 22 per cent higher than the figure for the same period last year, according to the e-retail Sales Index.

Last month, consumers in the UK spent over £4.5 billion, which works out at a little over £73 for every single shopper in the country.

This performance, when compared to 2009, shows that consumers are increasingly confident in safe shopping online and perhaps suggests that the worst of the recession is over.

Between April and May 2010, the total online shopping spend in the UK rose by three per cent, with analysts suggesting that the 2010 World Cup in South Africa has caused a significant rise in spending on certain products throughout the retail market.

Online shoppers bought 13 per cent more electrical devices in the run up to the World Cup and alcohol sales were also increased, with people buying enough drink to bolster total sales by over a quarter. The greatest increase was seen in the clothing market, with sales up by 32 per cent in May 2010 compared to the same period 12 months earlier, as eager sports fans equipped themselves with new kits and accessories to recreate the world's largest sporting event in their own back gardens.

E-Retail analyst firm IMRG compiled the data. Spokesperson Tina Spooner said that the total annual growth of the online shopping industry in the UK is 14 per cent. This means that IMRG is confident that the market will match up to its previous predictions by the end of 2010.

Online retailers are said to be seeing the first benefits of growing consumer confidence, with recent statistics showing that over 50 per cent consider the recession to have ended. However, the 2010 World Cup has been exploited by many cybercriminals in order to run related spam campaigns which can compromise safe shopping online, so caution is advised.