Online retailers to find increased sales in holiday season

Online U.K. retailers are expected to see higher sales this holiday season compared to bricks-and-mortar stores, according to numerous studies and surveys examined in a recent Bloomberg News article.

Bloomberg cited a Deloitte survey, which predicted U.K. internet sales will increase 15 percent in December and total £30 billion in 2011. Further, more than 40 percent of all retail transactions by value are being influenced by internet research, price comparisons and social media recommendations.

Planet Retail expects John Lewis retailers to benefit significantly from the transition into mobile transactions, as the group's stores are offering free Wi-Fi and click and collect points to pick up online orders, Bloomberg reported.

The trend Bloomberg reported on was borne out by IMRG's eRetail Sales Index for October, which reported that health and beauty retailers will also enjoy an increase in online sales, as their internet purchases increased 53 percent in October compared to the same month in 2010. In addition, online sales for electronics grew 11 percent compared to last year, and £5.9 billion was spent online in October, a 7 percent increase from September.