THE RETAIL BULLETIN - The home of retail news
Click here
Home Page
News Categories
Commentary
Department Stores
Electricals and Tech
Entertainment
Fashion
Food and Drink
General Merchandise
Grocery
Health and Beauty
Home and DIY
Interviews
People Matter
Retail Business Strategy
Property
Retail Solutions
Electricals & Technology
Sports and Leisure
Christmas Ads
Shopping Centres, High Streets & Retail Parks
Retail Events
People in Retail Awards 2024
Retail HR Central 2024
The Future of The High Street 2024
Retail HR Summit
THE Retail Conference
Upcoming Retail Events
Past Retail Events
Retail Insights
Retail Solutions
Advertise
About
Contact
Subscribe for free
Terms and Policies
Privacy Policy
Online sales boosted by sunny spell and housing boom in April: new figures

New figures released by IMRG and Capgemini have shown that warm weather and an improved housing market provided a welcome boost for online retailers in April… View Article

GENERAL MERCHANDISE NEWS

Online sales boosted by sunny spell and housing boom in April: new figures

New figures released by IMRG and Capgemini have shown that warm weather and an improved housing market provided a welcome boost for online retailers in April as shoppers bought new summer clothing and items for the home.

According to data from the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, online sales recorded growth of 17% in April, which equated to an estimated £7.8 billion spent online.

The figures show that UK shoppers chose to update their wardrobes and purchase items for the home instead of splashing out on expensive holidays. As a result, the clothing and home & garden sectors recorded annual growth of 17% and 23% respectively.

The health and beauty sector also performed well in April with online sales leaping 32% year-on-year to reach the highest level in nearly two years. In addition, alcohol achieved a solid performance, particularly in the run-up to the Easter weekend, with sales jumping 19% on March.

Meanwhile, the travel sector saw a significant dip in April, recording a disappointing year-on-year increase of just 6%. This is in contrast to the same period in 2013, which saw much stronger annual growth of 16%.

Tina Spooner, IMRG chief information officer, said: “For the fourth consecutive month we have seen annual growth in e-retail sales exceed the performance in the comparable period last year, resulting in overall growth of 17% year-to-date. The same trend is apparent in the number of browsers that convert to buyers, with average online conversion rates between January and April reaching a 5-year high.”

Chris Webster, VP, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini, added: “April’s results perfectly illustrate the impact that sustained high levels of confidence in the economic recovery continue to have on our shopping habits as demonstrated by our investment in home and garden. This combined with a spell of fine weather, following the wet winter months, has encouraged us to splash out on our summer wardrobes while putting off that foreign holiday.”

Subscribe For Retail News