On-line shopping grows in February
Jodi
Could it be that romantic shoppers were the reason for boosted on-line sales in February? Certainly last month’s figures have helped to improve the slight downturn on January’s figures.
Sales from e-commerce sites were by 13% compared to February 2009, according to latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.
An estimated £4.1 billion was spent on-line in the month compared to £3.6 billion in 2009.
This sales increase comes after a decline of 4% in January 2010, most likely a seasonal fall-off after the big Christmas spends.
Taking a closer look at Valentine’s sales on-line the report reveals a shift in the buying choice. The gifts sector – including flowers and hampers – fell by a third in the week before Valentine’s Day while sales of lingerie and beauty products grew by 30% and 25% respectively.
Chris Webster, vice president of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini is reported as saying: “It is reassuring to see that romance hasn’t been lost in the recession, and shoppers clearly haven’t lost the love for on-line retail.
“The growth of less traditional sectors in February paints an optimistic picture of consumers picking themselves up following the doom and gloom of the last couple of years. Despite on-line retail’s maturity, it is still showing strong growth levels of 13%.”
Tags: e-tailers, online retail