Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Online sales of non-food products grew 6.2% in August versus a year earlier – the slowest increase since March 2013, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) – KPMG online retail sales monitor.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Online echoed the performance of total sales this month, with growth slowing to just 6.2%, well below the 12-month average of 11.1%.
“People’s attention on screens turned to watching the Olympics rather than browsing, resulting in the lowest growth for online non-food sales since March 2013. Online, as a proportion of total non-food retail sales, remains above 20%, contributing positively to total non-food sales growth, while store sales registered a decline. These figures are a reflection of a month of lower sales growth across the board as people, focused their energies on outdoor leisure activities rather than shopping.
“The fact that online continues to be the key driver of sales growth is both testament to – and a driver of – innovation in the industry.Despite continuing uncertainty and swings in consumer confidence since the referendum, retailers continue to invest in optimising their digital platforms, which have already become an integral part of the customer journey.”
