Cyber Monday to smash online sales records
ONLINE retailer Amazon has said it expects to receive more than 4m orders today as UK shoppers flock to online stores on so-called Cyber Monday, a rise of around 15 per cent on the same day last year.
Amazon also claimed that its new fashion store, which has signed up 50 brands this year, will allow it to take market share from department stores like John Lewis and Selfridges.
John Lewis demonstrated it won’t be an easy target, however, releasing figures showing its total sales last week were up 18.4 per cent on the year to £147m, with online sales up 31.4 per cent.
Its online sales last Friday – dubbed Black Friday after the traditional post-Thanksgiving shopping day in the US – were more than double their previous record, underlining its strong online sales growth.
“Customers are changing their shopping patterns and are comfortable with a mix of online and in store shopping,” said John Lewis’ Mark Lewis. “Sunday evening is now one of our busiest times as people shop online later in the day, particularly through mobile devices and tablets.”
Meanwhile Barclaycard has forecast a 10.1 per cent rise in online shopping today compared with the same day last year.
And retail monitor Springboard expects footfall in stores to be up 2.6 per cent, partly thanks to more customers using click and collect services, buying goods online and collecting them in stores.