New figures have backed up claims that March saw a bumper month for online retailers in the UK, retail-week.com reports.
Following on from a report by Barclays which reached similar conclusions, business service firm Capgemini has found that March proved positive for online businesses as overall sales increased by 16 per cent.
As a result of Easter and Mother’s Day both falling in March – not to mention cold weather prompting shoppers to stay indoors – e-retail sales volumes increased year-on-year. This has prompted Capgemini to forecast that some £87 billion will be spent online by the end of the year – which would be a record.
Clothes purchases were among the most popular, with consumers thought to be updating their wardrobe ahead of summer, even if the weather was somewhat grim at the time. These results prove that all retailers would be wise to implement a digital offering – with online credit card processing to make it easy for the customer – in order to ensure those who want to spend but don’t want to leave the house are still accounted for.
The retailers may also want to consider their mobile offering, after Capgemini found that tablet and smartphone searches increased by a staggering 243 per cent year on year.
Commenting on the results, the head of retailing consulting and technology at Capgemini, Chris Webster, told ibtimes.co.uk: “Despite the various challenges currently facing the wider retail sector, such as the weather and its subsequent impact on high-street footfall, online is continuing to show its resilience.
“While the sector may at times slow or report a marginal annual increase, overall growth for both online and mobile has been relentless. As retailers continue to develop multichannel offerings and improve mobile services in line with an ever evolving technology, the high-street will struggle to match the performance of their online counterparts.”
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