Online retailers to benefit from a 'strong Christmas' this year with spending on and off-line expected to increase, according to new information released by research firm Mintel.
Mintel said online sales are expected to increase 16 per cent and one third of shoppers said they planned to do most of their Christmas present buying on the internet.
Spending, which includes VAT, is expected to increase 4 per cent and reach £40.6 billion during December. Online sales are expected to account for a little over 12 per cent of total sales, or almost £5 billion.
Mintel research director Richard Perks said: 'Consumers tend to shop online more when they are doing 'shopping-list shopping' such as buying gifts for other people - browsing in-store is more of a pleasure when you are buying for yourself.'
'More than one-third, 34 per cent, of UK consumers told us they will buy all their presents online this year. This will boost the performance of online-only retailers such as Amazon, who tend to outperform at Christmas,' he said.
'Yet, with 17 per cent of consumers telling us they will use click-and-collect services this Christmas, store-based retailers have a major advantage over pure-plays. And one-quarter of shoppers told Mintel they prefer to visit stores rather than buy online at Christmas.'
It will be the first major mobile Christmas - with 8 per cent of all shoppers saying they intend to use their smartphones or tablets to buy gifts, according to Mintel.
'Looking further ahead, we think retailers need to cater to these mobile-enabled shoppers by rolling out options to check stock availability and reserve products in nearby stores,' said Perks.
Total 'Christmas spending' on and off-line is expected to reach £14.5 billion.
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