Online retailers are seeing a positive rise in sales figures, according to new research by an industry expert.
The British Retail Consortium said that online retail growth is far outshining overall retail growth, with sales rising 4.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis compared with December 2008.
A statement by the group said that the sharp increase in online retail between November and December shows that customer confidence in websites is growing.
Sharon Hardiman, head of non-store retailing at the consortium, said that Christmas produced the strongest online sales growth of the year for non-food goods.
"Non-store sales are only about four per cent of overall retail sales but are growing much more rapidly as people become increasingly confident about shopping this way. For some, severe weather made shopping online more attractive than going out," she added.
Online also had advantages over shops during the Christmas period, with people being able to access early sale stock even when stores had closed for the festive period.
