Spending on the internet surged in June as figures from Barclaycard and the British Retail Consortium suggest consumers are feeling more optimistic.
Barclaycard, which tracks about half of all spending, said online sales rose 12.5 per cent last month. According to the figures, released exclusively to the Mail on Sunday, almost one in five pounds spent last month by British consumers on their credit or debit cards was via the internet.
The newspaper said the dramatic impact of the web was most seen in the electronics sector where one third of all spending is now online.
Overall Barclaycard said consumer spending rose for its fastest rate in 18 months rising 5 per cent in June compared to the same month a year earlier. Total consumer spending was up 3.3 per cent in the first-half compared to the same period in 2012, it said.
According to separate figures released by the BRC and KPMG this morning - based on the Consortium's membership and which have proved more erratic than the Barclaycard data - online sales increased 14.1 per cent in June compared to the same month a year before.
Total UK retail sales increased 2.9 per cent in June compared to a year earlier, the BRC said.
Helen Dickinson, director general of the BRC, said: 'It's been a strong month for online sales and our figures show that they were the best for a year if you exclude Christmas. Online sales accounted for over a thirds of non-food growth.'
She said: 'As on the high street, online sales in June were particularly strong for clothes and shoes. There is some evidence that fashion purchases were delayed earlier in the year due to the cold weather. It seems that many people waited until the weather turned better before making decisions about their summer wardrobe. Likewise, we saw consumers taking advantage of the good deals available online in electricals.'
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