Survey: UK Online Shopping Booms
LONDON - Online shopping in the UK grew 142 percent in 2001, according to research published today by retail consultancy Verdict, Reuters reports.
Verdict said the online retail market, excluding travel and tickets, grew to 3.26 billion pounds. The number still only represents 1.5 percent of all retail sales, but shows a lot of promise in the UK market.
The study finds that an increasing number of female online shoppers helped boost sales, with older shoppers aged 55 years plus spending more than those under 55. Older shoppers make up 15 percent of customers, the same proportion as 15-24 year olds, but spend twice as much.
In total the number of online shoppers is estimated to have doubled in the last year to 8.2 million customers, meaning that almost one in six adults is now buying on the Internet.
The report found that the most popular shopping sites were for grocery, clothing and footwear.
This Christmas should see a boom in sales with 815 million pounds being spent in November and December, up 147 percent on last year. Grocery sites are expected to be particularly busy, the researchers said.
Verdict said the online retail market, excluding travel and tickets, grew to 3.26 billion pounds. The number still only represents 1.5 percent of all retail sales, but shows a lot of promise in the UK market.
The study finds that an increasing number of female online shoppers helped boost sales, with older shoppers aged 55 years plus spending more than those under 55. Older shoppers make up 15 percent of customers, the same proportion as 15-24 year olds, but spend twice as much.
In total the number of online shoppers is estimated to have doubled in the last year to 8.2 million customers, meaning that almost one in six adults is now buying on the Internet.
The report found that the most popular shopping sites were for grocery, clothing and footwear.
This Christmas should see a boom in sales with 815 million pounds being spent in November and December, up 147 percent on last year. Grocery sites are expected to be particularly busy, the researchers said.