Boost to online sales in March amid freezing temperatures

Internet shopping sales rose in March amid freezing conditions on the High Street as many shoppers chose to stay home to avoid bad weather. 

Barclaycard said internet sales in March increased 12 per cent despite the lack of appetite for Spring fashions. That compares to overall growth in consumer spending of 2.5 per cent and sales growth on the High Street of 0.4 per cent, according to a report. 

That is slightly slower than the 13 per cent rise in online sales in February but continues to indicate the strength of online growth as High Street sales stall.

Overall spending should have received a boost from the early timing of Easter with three days of the Easter weekend falling in March. However, sales at DIY stores, which often compare the Easter boost to Christmas for other shops, are understood to have seen sales decline by about 11 per cent compared to the same month last year.

Spend on women's clothing stores fell by 10 per cent with men's down 7.4 per cent, the figures indicate.

Spending in restaurants (total spending up 9.8 per cent) and cinemas (up 8.8 per cent) benefited from some of the surplus cash as people looked for ways to treat themselves. Sales of electrical goods soared 8.4 per cent in stores and 36 per cent online. While utility bills also jumped up 15.5 per cent as Britons spent more cash on keeping warm and because charges have risen well above inflation.  

But the data also suggests firms are adapting, the report said. While department stores’ sales fell 7.5 per cent overall, online sales increased 18 per cent.

Opinion: Barclaycard says its numbers account for around half of all spending. Clearly that is not the whole picture and could be skewed towards more affluent shoppers. But they also track payments through credit and debit card payments in systems they monitor through a host of retailers so the figures provide a strong indication of the direction and speed of travel. 

This week Marks & Spencer is expected to become the latest retailer to complain that weather hit sales. Chief executive Marc Bolland is expected to emphasise the strength of his online business to convince shareholders the business is achieving a turnaround. He will say clothing sales in stores open at least a year and online fell by about 4.5 per cent. That brings the annual rate of decline in the year to the end of March to 4 per cent, City analysts have calculated.