21 Mar Online sales continues to grow, but with a “cloud or two on the horizon”
UK online retail sales increased 15 per cent year-on-year in February, according to the latest figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. While on this represents a strong month, there were some signs that sustaining this rate of online retail growth could become a challenge.
Growth in sales made on smartphones – a key driver of online retail – has slowed to 57 per cent compared to February 2016’s 96 per cent, while growth in sales made on tablets also remains low at 3.5 per cent.
However, IMRG and Capgemini said this slowdown through mobile was specific to online-only retailers. For multichannel retailers, which have both an online and in-store offering, growth in sales made on mobile devices was up slightly year-on-year.