Tony McGrath
26 July 2011
With improved weather and the Royal Wedding driving trends in the country, U.K. ecommerce increased by 19 percent in the first six months of 2011 compared to last year, according to the recent IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.
Overall, U.K. shoppers spent £31.5 billion so far this year, which is 1 percent more than IMRG Capgemini's previous projection released in January. According to the report, the increased ecommerce market is due to a struggling economy, better deals than high-street retailers, a "scorching" April as people updated their summer wardrobe and the recent Royal Wedding.
In June, U.K. shoppers spent £5.3 billion through online payment gateways, which represents a 21 percent increase from June 2010.
"Bank holidays, soggy weekends and major sporting events encourage us to go online for our shopping - it’s quick, it’s convenient and we can do it 365 days a year," said Chris Webster, head of retail consulting at Capgemini. "What’s more, we don’t need to be armed with an umbrella."
According to a study of 2,000 U.K shoppers conducted by Econsultancy, 48 percent want assurances that the websites they are using are secure during the shopping cart checkout process, or they are likely to abandon their purchase.
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