Shoppers spending more online

More and more money is being spent online with figures for June alone topping 1.4 billion.

08:40 15 July 2005

More and more money is being spent online with figures for June alone topping 1.4 billion.

According to a new study by the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), that was the amount internet shoppers spent on goods last month, with each person averaging a total of 50.

Sales on electrical and gift sites rose significantly during the month, as did sales on sites selling beer, wine and spirits.

In total, the IMRG predicts 400 million parcels will be shipped to 24 million online shoppers in the UK this year.

Amazon.com, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, received a nice birthday present with the news sales grew by more than a quarter in the year to June 2005.

During this period revenues rose by 27.5 per cent, according to the IMRG.

Last year it recorded worldwide sales of nearly 3.9 billion having picked up over 50 million customers.

Amazon, eBay and Argos now top the lists of the most competitive online brands that are causing the biggest dent in high street retailers' revenues.

The figures from IMRG follow a recent study that found the majority of children under the age of 16 prefer the experience of shopping over the internet to that of actually braving the high street shops.