The onward march of internet shopping continues with new figures showing that half of the adult population bought goods online over Christmas.
In the ten weeks leading up to Christmas, online sales totalled £5bn, up from £3.33bn during the same period last year, according to the Internet Media Retail Group (IMRG).
It is estimated that 24 million people shopped online last year, spending an average of over £800 each; however, about a quarter of that figure was spent during Christmas, say the IMRG.
The group forecasts that e-shopping will rise again this year, estimating growth by over a third.
It is also expected that Britons will spend on average in excess of £1,000 each in 2006.
James Roper, of IMRG, said: “A surprising number of goods are still either hard to find or unavailable online, such as high fashion or real estate.
“Even leading retailers don’t make a small proportion of their inventory online, and don’t bother with spares at all.
“So huge growth potential remains for the merchants who plug these holes.”
Last year UK consumers spent £19.2bn on goods and services online.
