Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Last month, online retail sales represented 18.3% of total non-food sales – which is a record penetration rate for the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-KPMG’s online monitor.
October’s double digit online sales growth helped the three-month average reach its highest level since February.
BRC director general Helen Dickinson said: “The share of non-food sales made online hit new heights in October, showing the highest ever penetration rate.
“The month saw wide ranges of festive products and gift ideas hitting the shelves, as retailers readied themselves for the countdown to Christmas, and many shoppers valued the choice and convenience that came with browsing and buying online – as well as the opportunity to pre-order some of the key releases planned for November.
“It’s expected that many of us will ‘click into Christmas’ more than ever before this year, and retailers have invested significantly in user-friendly websites, fast deliveries and convenient ways of buying in-store, at home or on the move. These figures are an encouraging sign that these improvements are striking a chord with customers.”
David McCorquodale, Head of Retail, KPMG, added: “These figures underline how vitally important online is to the average retailer’s overall performance. As we approach Christmas I would expect online sales to continue to pick up pace. This will be another bumper Christmas for the online sales channel, be it through ‘click and collect’ or the traditional delivery to a customer’s door.”
