It has been reported that online sales in August increased 16% in comparison to last year, with figures showing that the IMRG Capgemeni eRetail Sales Index saw year-on-year sales get to £9.8 billion. In the same month last year online sales only rose 5%.

Other figures show that due to the long-awaited heatwave, shoppers carried on buying summer items, with a year-on-year growth of 20% in clothing, 48% in accessories, 4% in alcohol and 25% in the garden sector.
Also increasing from last year, smartphone sales rose 18.5% year-on-year, up to 49.5% from 31%.
Bhavesh Unadkat, Capgemeni management consultant, said: “It’s reassuring to see consumer confidence remain buoyant - a growth of 16% on the year is extremely strong.  Mobile continues to impress with a near even split between traffic from mobile and desktop.

“However, the more interesting element is how conversion from smartphones continue to increase, it was under one per cent last year and is now nearly two per cent.

“Soon it will double again, and if retailers can hold their traffic and drive that level of conversion then it will not be long before mobile overtakes desktop in online sales.”