November Online Sales Grow At Fastest Rate This Year, Says BRC

Online sales of non-grocery products rose in November at the fastest rate this year as consumers took to the internet to get festive shopping done early.

The 16 per cent increase was the fastest rate for three years excluding December months, according to figures released today by the British Retail Consortium. Spending online in the non-food category reached 19.9 per cent of the total retail spend.

The trend illustrates the acceleration of online shopping growth ahead of Christmas and suggests more people are using the internet to plan ahead to save time and money. Total non-food sales grew 2 per cent in November and dropped after the effect of online shopping was stripped out.

'The signs are that many of us went online during the month to make an early start on our present shopping, and the Cyber Monday effect is likely to continue that trend into December,' said Helen Dickinson, director general of the British Retail Consortium.

She said: 'Faster delivery times and the growing popularity of Click & Collect means customers are ready to leave ordering online closer to Christmas with the confidence that their goods will still arrive on time.'

'The proportion of goods bought online increased across all categories during the month, with clothing having a particularly strong showing. These figures highlight that, while online may have come of age last Christmas, this year it’s cementing its position as a popular choice at all stages of the customer journey.' added Dickinson.

The penetration is a jump on last month's 18.3 per cent and well ahead of last December when spending on non-food online was just 14.8 per cent of the total.

Clothing sales online have led the recent growth surge accounting for 24.6 per cent of total sales in November compared to 21.7 per cent last year, according to the BRC. Footwear has also seen rapid growth rising to 29.3 per cent from 27.1 per cent last year.

Health and beauty still represents the smallest category with only 6 per cent of sales online compared to 5.1 per cent a year ago.