UK Online Christmas Retail 2009 – Were you a hit or a miss?

So, Christmas 2009 is almost upon us and, save for a few last minute panic stricken purchases, retailers have already started their bean counting. For many online retailers, this time of year is manic. Warehouses are packed to the rafters with excess stock, warehouse staff are running around like headless chickens, office staff are drafted into the warehouse to help (or is that hinder?) and the warehouse temps don’t know which way to turn.

Some initial figures are in for online retail in the UK this Christmas:

• The much publicised Cyber Monday (December 7th) and December 6th were the joint busiest days for online retailers this year. The busiest day last year was Sunday November 30th

• Supermarkets and department stores have benefited most from the move towards last minute shopping this Christmas although Amazon saw the biggest increase in visits

• On 7th December, £1.4m was spent online at 13:43 in just one minute, with sales peaking at £33m between 1pm and 2pm

• Figures show that  the average online order value this Christmas is up by 94% compared to last year

• The number of items per transaction has also significantly increased from 2.7 items in 2007 to 3.7 per order in 2009

• UK shoppers spent £5.3bn online in November 2009, with sales up by 25% on Octobers, and by 11% compared to November 2008

Whether this was a good or bad Christmas for your online business, now is the time to act for Christmas 2010. It might seem like an eternity between now and then but now is the time to act and get your business in order if you’re to take a bigger slice of the Christmas pie next year.

To get a free evaluation of your business or to discuss the options and strategy for your online business, give us a call or email us today or visit our website.

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Prepare your online business for Christmas 2010