Consumers in the UK switching from traditional shops to online shopping

Out of every £1 that is spent by British shoppers now, an impressive 17p is going to online retailers.

The above finding indicates that consumers are slowly but surely switching away from traditional shops. They are doing so in favour of online shopping, opting to pay at their home computer.

A new survey points out that nearly £26.5bn was spent on internet shopping in the first six months of 2008, up 38 per cent over the previous year. The online total is approximately equivalent to half the supermarket spending of the UK.

It is apparent that cash-strapped consumers are now hitting the shops less frequently, and trading down to cheaper goods, and staying local rather than opting to venture to out-of-town retail outlets. Figures from many leading retailers underline that trend.

But when it comes to online retail, the slowdown effect is not so apparent. For instance, visits to the Primark and Harrods websites are up 12 per cent and 14 per cent respectively on a year ago.

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