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London (pte029/21.02.2005/14:00) - The number of people shopping over the internet in Britain soared last year, according to a new report. According to market analysts Verdict http://www.verdict.co.uk , one pound in every seven pounds spent in the retail sector in 2004 was on items delivered to the doorstep. As The Scotsman http://news.scotsman.com reports, internet shopping was the fastest growing area, with sales up 27.4 per cent during 2004. The report also highlighted a big increase in the number of householders shopping from in front of their televisions.
According to the report, sales of items advertised in TV shopping channels such as QVC increased by 14.6 per cent last year. Representatives selling goods door-to-door also had a good year, with business up 13 per cent. However, the trend towards shopping from home has hit High Street retailers. Sales of goods ordered in-store for home delivery dropped by 16 per cent last year although that still makes up a 56.7 per cent share of the market, according to Verdict. The report also found the total home-delivery market grew 5.9 per cent in 2004 compared with 4.2 per cent for the retail sector as a whole.
A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that 20 per cent of those who ordered items for home delivery bought books, music or videos last year. The next most popular purchase was electrical goods - 19 per cent - followed by clothing. 92 per cent of those questioned said they were satisfied with the level of service that they received when they had items delivered. "The home-delivery market has been transformed from the days when it catered largely for catalogue-shopping, cash-conscious housewives," said the report.
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