July online sales skyrocket

Like-for-like sales at all of UK’s online retailers rocketed 80 per cent in July compared with growth of just 3.3 per cent for high street stores.

The data from IMRG showed that sales figures topped£4 billion in July, the highest levels ever recorded and£1.86 billion higher than July 2006.

Wet weather has been largely touted as the reason for a push to online shopping. Flooding not only hindered travel, but led to people having to replace water-damaged goods.

Many retailers have also expanded or updated their online offerings over the past year with far greater product ranges, which now equal or exceed what is available in stores.

IMRG chief executive James Roper said that the growth may only be the very tip of the iceberg. “July’s extraordinarily strong market growth spotlights the high level of consumer demand, and yet we are only just beginning to see basic facilities arriving,” he said. “We still have nowhere near enough capacity to meet shoppers’ appetite for e-tail.”