Online shopping sales on Christmas Day and Boxing Day are set to top £890m, according to e-tail analysts IMRG.
With consumers expecting to take delivery of yet more tablets and smartphones over Christmas, IMRG is predicting a rise in online purchasing as shoppers ‘road test’ their new presents. It also forecasts a rise in ‘multi-screen’ activity, with shoppers browsing online while watching Christmas TV.
Online sales on Christmas Day were tipped to hit £350m, while online sales on Boxing Day were forecast to hit £540m.
Online shopping on mobile devices alone was predicted to be £100m on Christmas Day and over £140m on Boxing Day.
“Mobile device usage really is changing the way we shop. Online always used to be mutually exclusive and not always consistent with the High Street. Smartphones, accounting for 20% of mobile-enabled sales on retailers’ websites, really are helping customers shop whilst on the move,” said IMRG COO Andrew McClelland.
“Tablets are also accelerating this mobile change, lowering the barriers to entry, with prices continuing to fall, their design and interfaces being less intimidating and truly being ‘always on’ so we as shoppers can now truly shop whenever and wherever we want.”
Chris Webster, vice president, retail, Capgemini, added: “With the launch of budget tablets, improved m-commerce sites and greater connectivity than ever before, 2013 really has been the year of the mobile.”
Earlier this month, Tesco predicted sales of its budget tablet Hudl would hit 600,000 by the end of the Christmas period.
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