Figures point to big online sales in December

Experian Hitwise predicted online pre-Christmas shopping in the U.K. would hit its peak this year on December 5, with consumers expected to report 85 million visits to retail ecommerce sites and spend 350 million hours combined online during the 24-hour period.

According to the Hitwise research, the city of Hull will have more online shoppers proportionally than any other U.K. city in December, and throughout the month, 2.1 billion visits to retail websites will occur for holiday purchases nationwide. Hitwise said Lego will be the most searched-for toy this year, and iPhones will be the third most popular online gift item.

Research from an online payment provider also supported the prediction of December 5 producing the highest online sales of the year.

“Ecommerce is set to be a key channel of sales for retailers this year but consumers will continue to shop in-store or using other channels," said Gabriel Hopkins, an ecommerce expert. "Consumers are going to be cautious in this economic climate but presents will still be bought and consumers will seek out bargains. Retailers need to be ready to capture their interest.”