John Lewis is celebrating a quarter of a century since the launch of JohnLewis.com, reflecting on how its online business has evolved since it first began trading in October 2001.

When the website launched, it offered customers around 5,000 products and processed approximately 1,000 orders each day.

Rather fittingly for the housewares industry, the first product purchased online was a beech salt and pepper mill, priced at £22.85.

Fast forward 25 years and the retailer now offers more than 300,000 products through its website, handling an average of 55,000 orders daily and generating approximately 1.6 million page impressions each day.

The growth reflects the changing shopping habits of UK consumers, with online retail becoming an increasingly important part of the department store’s business.

Today, online shopping accounts for approximately 60 per cent of John Lewis sales, with the retailer continuing to operate 36 physical stores alongside its digital offering.

The milestone comes as John Lewis prepares for the busy Christmas trading period, during which it expects to process up to 150,000 online orders a day.

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