With many shoppers still hitting the high street, are pure-play etailers really just losing out this Christmas?

Multichannel fashion retailers are no doubt still tallying up the sales from Cyber Monday on December 3. But with many still hitting the high street, aren’t pure-play etailers really just losing out this Christmas?

Well, the answer is probably yes. But there are those that are innovating and doing something about it. In fact, just last week fashion etailer Very.co.uk did just that when it unveiled its digital ‘shopping windows’ at Liverpool’s shopping and leisure complex, Liverpool One.

With sales of £350m for the year to June 30, 2012, representing a year-on-year increase of 15%, the business has been highly successful online with its target audience of 25 to 35 year olds. Shop Direct Group retail director Gareth Jones has previously told me that taking up permanent brick-and-mortar space is not on the agenda, but that temporarily showcasing the brand in vacant shop windows will form part of the business’s strategy.

The digital windows incorporate near-field-communication and QR code technology, allowing consumers out on their Christmas Shop to use their smartphones and tablets to scan and shop the collections, with orders delivered free the next day if placed before 9pm.

Of course we’ve seen other online retailers try to take advantage of temporary bricks-and-mortar space this Christmas, with this blog reporting on online marketplace and etail giant Ebay’s pop-up shop just last month.

However, with one third of Very.co.uk’s online traffic now coming via mobile devices - and with every indication that mobile usage will continue to growth - initiatives such as this show that there are further opportunities on the high street for pureplay online retailers to build brand awareness and maximize sales, particularly during the lucrative Christmas period.

It will be interesting to see which other fashion etailers invest in similar initiatives going forward, but certainly for this online fashion store it looks like it will be a Very good Christmas indeed.