After a challenging year for the UK online retail sector, there is finally some positive news to kick off 2023. The last week of December showed a significant surge in online sales, indicating that consumers are increasingly shifting towards shopping online rather than in physical stores.
According to data from Wunderkind’s Marketing Pulse, online retail sales in the UK during the final week of December increased by 26% compared to the same period the previous year. This boost in online sales can be attributed to the popularity of Boxing Day, which traditionally tends to be a slow day for physical stores. Instead of battling the crowds and making purchases in person, consumers opted to stay at home and browse online for the products they desired.
Marketing Pulse analyzed over 84,200 consumer journeys and discovered that traffic to UK e-commerce websites on Boxing Day saw a rise of 54.7% compared to the previous week, and a 41% increase compared to 2021. While not all purchases were made on Boxing Day itself, the increased website visits played a crucial role in driving sales throughout the rest of the week. In fact, sales on Boxing Day saw a year-on-year increase of 2.27% (a 14.6% increase week-on-week) as price-sensitive shoppers took advantage of discounts and special offers. In terms of revenue, e-sales on Boxing Day even outperformed Super Saturday (17 December), generating 19.2% more online revenue.
Despite the success of Boxing Day e-sales, it was still overshadowed by another monumental shopping event – Black Friday. Digital sales on Black Friday were a staggering 143.6% higher than those on Boxing Day, solidifying its position as a major shopping day.
While the dynamics of this year’s December figures differed from those of 2021, the overall pattern remained the same. Marketing Pulse noted that traffic patterns leading up to Christmas Day were consistent with the previous year, followed by a significant increase in website visitor numbers on Boxing Day. However, there was a notable difference in 2022, as there was a much larger volume of online shoppers browsing throughout December. The trend of digital “window shopping” increased by 32.9% compared to the previous year, and web traffic in the week after Christmas experienced an even larger surge, up by 44.4% compared to 2021.
The rise in online sales during the last week of December is an encouraging indication for the UK’s online retail sector. It suggests that consumers are growing more comfortable with online shopping and are willing to forgo the traditional in-store experience. As retailers continue to adapt to changing consumer behaviors, it will be intriguing to see how this trend evolves in the coming year and how it shapes the future of the retail industry as a whole.
Useful links:
1. Retail Gazette: A comprehensive source of news and insights on the retail industry in the UK and beyond.
2. BBC Business – Retail: Stay updated with the latest retail news from the BBC, covering a wide range of topics related to the retail industry.
