UK shoppers spent 11% more online in October than they did the year before, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics out this week. The October 2012 Retail Sales figures also put figures on the amount spent online for categories from food to footwear.
The ONS estimates that an average of £562m a week was spent online in October 2012, 11% more than in the same month last year. It put internet sales at 9.4% of all UK retail spending, excluding fuel. That’s 0.8% higher than at the same time last year.
Across all UK retail, the ONS estimated that spending rose by 1.6% in value to reach £6.8bn, and by 0.6% in volume in October. Last October £6.7bn was spent on retail transactions, while £6.6bn was spent in September.
Its figures also suggest growth in the proportion of grocery shopping that happens online. In October 2012, said the ONS figures, £2.8bn was spent on food in the UK, 2% more than last October. The volume of food bought fell by 0.7%. Of the total spent £89m, or 3.2%, changed hands online. That’s more than the 2.8% of food shopping that took place online in October 2011.
Meanwhile, UK non-food retail sales averaged £2.8bn a week in October. Of that 7.7%, or £217m, took place online. An average £0.5bn was spent in department stores each week, with £40m, or 7.5%, spent online. And of the £0.9bn spent in textile, clothing and footwear stores, £87m, or 10.2%, was spent over the internet. Of the £0.6bn spent in household goods stores, £32m, or 5.5% was spent online.
