‘Cyberweek’ and clearance sales drive online retail in December

‘Cyberweek’ and clearance sales helped to drive online retail sales in December with non-food products growing 7% compared to the same time last year. 

This is according to the BRC-KPMG Online Retail Sales Monitor which found that in December online sales represented 17% of total non-food sales, compared to 16% in December 2013.

The monitor, which covered the five weeks between November 30 2014 and January 3 2015, found that the month started strongly with ‘Cyberweek’ (the week after Black Friday), and ended strongly in the sales week.

Sales were soft in-between, reaching a low the week before Christmas.

Online sales contributed 1.2 percentage points to the growth of non-food total sales in December. The three-month average contribution of online to non-food growth exceeded that of stores for the fourth-consecutive month.

Helen Dickinson, director general of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “All product categories saw an increase in online purchases this month, showing that consumers’ burgeoning appetite to buy things on their computers, tablets and mobiles isn’t restricted to a single type of product. The numbers also show that all of the growth in non-food sales in December came from digital channels.

“However, in the same period we saw bricks-and-mortar stores holding their ground, which is a testament to how the UK’s retailers have finessed their multi-channel offer – with the huge expansion in click-and-collect underpinning this.”