Net Retailing Growth in UK

Confirming that virtual retailing is now taking off in a big way, latest research from NOP World indicates that the pre-Christmas period was the most successful ever, with 8.4 million adults shopping online in the UK - a growth rate of 52% when compared to December 2001.

Continuing the upward trend reported in June 2002, the number is equivalent to 43% of all regular web users in the country and underlines the continuing strong growth of the Internet as a mainstream channel for shopping.

December online sales run into the billions (c£1.5 billion), with the average shopper spending on a mixture of low and high priced items as diverse as books and clothes, through electrical white goods and DVDs to CDs and toys.

Carl Geraghty, Research Manager at NOP World said: 'Although there is some seasonality in the latest figures, strong growth since December 2001 which continued through June, underlines that, for many Britons, online shopping is not just for Christmas. Users are more comfortable with the online experience and reap the benefits of convenience and 'queue-busting', whilst also feeling the benefit in their wallet. For some product areas, the Internet is the main way they pay for goods in an average month, and the average user expects to at least double their online spend over the coming year.'

NOP screened a nationally representative sample of c30,000 adults aged 15+ in Great Britain for Internet usage in November 2002 and carried out 1,600 interviews with Internet users in December 2002.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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