British consumers will spend more than £13 billion on buying Christmas presents on the internet this year, a new study has found.
According to findings from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, some £13.16 billion will be spent online in the last quarter of 2008, 15 per more than the same period last year and equal to £215 per person.
The researchers estimate £1.2m will be spent on apparel in the last quarter – up 25 per cent on last year - while alcohol sales will reach £233m, £24m of which will be spent in the first week of December alone.
Monday 8 December will be the biggest online shopping day in the UK before the festive period, according to the researchers, with sales set to reach £320m. The peak shopping hour is expected between 1pm and 2pm, in which time £28m will be spent.
The findings will bring some much-welcomed relief for online retailers, after the CBI business organisation announced that retailers in Britain would face tough trading conditions in the run-up to Christmas due to the economic downturn.
"Retailers and suppliers will be under extreme pressure to price competitively this year", said IMRG chief executive James Roper.
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