The continued growth of online shopping means that Christmas 2016 is all set to be another bumper festive season for online retailers in the UK.
Royal Mail delivered 130 million parcels in December 2015, an increase of 6% on the previous year, thanks predominantly to the continued growth of online shopping.
Figures published by the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index in January showed that UK shoppers spent £24bn online between 1 November and 26 December 2015 – an increase of 12% on the same period in 2014.
Sales peaked during the week of Black Friday, which falls on the fourth Friday in November each year and has recently become the biggest event in the retail calendar. 17% of Christmas sales took place during Black Friday week, an increase of 62% on the previous week, with bargain-hungry shoppers spending an estimated £4.3bn on discounted products.
Total online sales for 2015 reached £114bn – an increase of 11% on the previous 12 months – with a further growth of 11% forecast for 2016, predicting a staggering e-retail spend of £126bn this year.
This is good news for online retailers, mail order companies and eBay sellers, who can expect to be sending out parcels and packages in record numbers again this festive season.
