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.

Online shoppers have helped to ensure a successful Christmas period for the nation’s retailers, according to an industry expert.

David Smith, director of operations at IMRG, said that internet activity over the festive period became part of most people’s shopping routines, whether this was emailing friends, social networking or surfing for bargains.

"Online retailers were able to benefit from this changing consumer behaviour by achieving record sales volumes with many sales and offers starting on Christmas Eve," he added.

It was also found that the Royal Mail strike action did not deter people from placing orders in the weeks before Christmas. Furthermore, 41.3 per cent stated that they are planning to spend more online next December after having a positive festive shopping experience last year.

Chris Russell, director at eDigitalResearch, added that retailers offering much later delivery dates for Christmas orders had helped increase revenue for the 2009 festive period.

Earlier this week, House of Fraser stated that it had posted a 91 per cent online sales jump in the run-up to Christmas.

The sheer volume of online sales over the Christmas period has helped businesses enjoy the festivities, in spite of the current economic crisis.

New figures from Retail Decisions said that there was a 21 per cent surge in online sales to an estimated £49.8 billion last year, with more than 33 million Britons having bought products from the world wide web.

Carl Clump, chief executive of the firm, said: "In 2009, 30 per cent of online sales took place in November and December, underlining the importance of the holiday season to retailers."

Mr Clump added that the top sellers over the Christmas period included necessities such as white goods for the kitchen, closely followed by the likes of laptops, LCD TVs, digital cameras, games consoles and iPhones.

It is also thought that the current wintery weather will help to boost online sales, with people unable to get out to the shops.

An example of this is that online betting websites have seen an upturn, with people unable to get to the bookies or having to find alternatives with horse racing meetings being called off.

Gadget fans and bargain hunters have been told that online is the way to go in 2010 by a BBC television expert.

Nikki Moore, the gadget ace for Sunday morning’s Something for the Weekend, said that with people’s lives becoming increasingly busy, online was going to be the best place to do shopping in 2010.

"That way there are price comparison sites, as well as the opportunity to look at three or four online shops in ten minutes, whereas that might take you an hour on the high street," she added.

Ms Moore also said that people should not feel like they need to go out and get "crushed in the sales", as they could find plenty of bargains by popping online.

"It’s definitely the best way," she added.

According to TechWatch, some of the products which will prove to be popular online sellers in 2010 include Blu-ray players and the PlayStation 3.

Gadgets will continue to be hot property in 2010, with wireless technologies and 3D TV tipped for success in 2010.

Nikki Moore, gadget expert for the BBC’s Something for the Weekend programme, said that she also expected the PlayStation 3 to be a top seller this year.

"There will be much more wireless technology around – things like iPod chargers you can use to charge without connecting wires. Then there will be 3DTV, which is very up and coming," she added.

Ms Moore also said that the 3D capabilities of Blu-ray will also prove to be a big hit, with the disks being able to store a lot more information than a standard DVD.

With people looking for gadgets which pack more into less, Ms Moore recommended e-readers as a product which has sold well over the Christmas period, while handheld camcorders are also retailing at a very good price.

Boxing Day sales have smashed all previous records, according to a number of media outlets.

Sales on Boxing Day and December 27th were the busiest e-retail days of the year, with traffic exceeding the pre-Christmas peaks of December 6th and 7th.

Colette Wade, marketing director at analytics firm Webtrends, said that online retailers have distinguished themselves from high street shops by giving consumers offers and access to a huge array of products "without a huge amount of effort".

"Product offers, niche items and new collections are announced to consumers using social media, so you really can get the right product with ease as a result of the continued growth in shopping online," she said.

Ms Wade added that online shopping has provided people with a variety of different resources at the simple click of a button.

Earlier in December, IMRG predicted a surge in online shopping throughout the festive period, with 4.3 million shoppers expected to go online on Christmas Day alone.

Bargain-hunters in Britain spent 25 per cent more on internet shopping last month than in October, according to new data.

The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index revealed that British shoppers spent £5.3 billion online in November. This was also up by 11 per cent on 2008.

It is also believed that shoppers are continuing to hold out for online bargains, rather than reducing their online spending.

Tina Spooner, director of information at IMRG, said that it is encouraging to see continued growth in the e-retail market, which is clearly an indication of consumers’ confidence in the online channel.

"We would expect this positive growth in online festive sales to continue during December as retailers seize the opportunity of targeting their customers with promotions and offers in the final shopping days in the run up to Christmas," she added.

Earlier this month, online retailers were told by the Daily Mail that millions of people will be using Christmas Day to shop for bargains, with many sales starting at midnight on Christmas Eve.

Bargain-hunters in Britain spent 25 per cent more on internet shopping last month than in October, according to new data.

The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index revealed that British shoppers spent £5.3 billion online in November. This was also up by 11 per cent on 2008.

It is also believed that shoppers are continuing to hold out for online bargains, rather than reducing their online spending.

Tina Spooner, director of information at IMRG, said that it is encouraging to see continued growth in the e-retail market, which is clearly an indication of consumers’ confidence in the online channel.

"We would expect this positive growth in online festive sales to continue during December as retailers seize the opportunity of targeting their customers with promotions and offers in the final shopping days in the run up to Christmas," she added.

Earlier this month, online retailers were told by the Daily Mail that millions of people will be using Christmas Day to shop for bargains, with many sales starting at midnight on Christmas Eve.

Consumers believe that the internet is helping them make more informed purchasing decisions, according to research carried out by marketing group Performics.

In the survey 45 per cent of respondents said they found the best deals online in the past month versus only 34 per cent who found bargains in store.

Generations X and Y led the economic recovery in 2009, as people between the ages of 18 and 44 outspent older consumers.

Michael Kahn, senior vice president of marketing at the organisation, commented: "Consumers have long turned to the internet to check prices and identify the best products to buy and merchants to patronise, but this year’s economic situation pushed this practice front and centre."

Earlier this week, Interactive Media in Retail Group commented that that the idea of shopping online on Christmas Day is becoming a festive tradition.

The Daily Mail reported that over £100 million was spent on the day last year.

Millions of people in the UK will be logging onto the internet to hunt for bargains on Christmas Day, according to the Daily Mail.

Major high street stores will start their sales, offering huge discounts of up to 70 per cent via the internet in the early hours of December 25th.

The newspaper reported that, last year, Christmas Day was the third biggest online shopping event of the year, with more than £100 million being spent.

A spokesperson from the Interactive Media in Retail Group said that the idea of shopping on Christmas Day is fast becoming as much a part of the festivities as turkey and the trimmings.

"The only way we Brits can enjoy the nation’s favourite leisure activity – shopping – on Christmas Day, our biggest holiday of the year, is online. So it is hardly surprising that millions of us now do a spot of Yuletide bargain hunting," it added.

Products such as Apple’s iPod Touch and the new Nintendo Wii are expected to be those most in demand by online bargain hunters.