Internet shopping to rise by £10bn as online visits outnumber in-store

SHOPPING VIA smartphones and tablets is set to rise by £10bn on last year as consumers will make more visits to online sites than malls for the first time, a survey suggests.

Some 30 million Britons (58 per cent) will use smart devices to shop this year, an increase of 12m on last year, with spending to reach £25bn, a rise of 66 per cent on last year, according to the poll by uSwitch.

The findings of a survey of 2,005 adults in December indicate that more people now buy online using a smart device (58 per cent) than in shopping centres (56 per cent).

Convenience is driving the popularity of smartphone and tablet shopping, with 66 per cent citing it as the main draw, while 64 per cent cited the ability to shop at any time and 40 per cent appreciated being able to compare prices.

Clothes are by far the most popular product bought online (69 per cent), ahead of books (51 per cent), groceries (47 per cent) and theatre or cinema tickets (43 per cent).

Rachel Lund, head of retail insights and analytics at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Smartphones are not a threat to the high street, but an opportunity for retailers able to integrate the physical and digital experience, particularly as shoppers often browse websites whilst in shops.”

It comes as inflation fell to its lowest level in two years and within a whisker of the Bank of England’s target due to a drop in petrol prices and air fares.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the Consumer Prices Index dropped to 2.1 per cent in December – the lowest since January 2017 – from 2.3 per cent in November.

December inflation met economists’ expectations and came within touching distance of the central bank’s two per cent target.

The decline in inflation was attributed to the recent collapse in oil prices which pulled down petrol prices and air fares.

The ONS said air ticket prices rose between November and December, but by less than a year ago.

At the pumps, the price of petrol fell by 6.4p per litre on the month to 121.7p, the lowest price since April 2018.