U.K. online summer sales hit peak

Consumers appear content to sit it out and wait for the best possible bargains. Not until 1 month after the summer sales started in the U.K. did online retailers hit their peak sales day, reports Internet Retailing.

When Opinion Matters surveyed over 1,000 consumers for Kelkoo they found almost half of consumers planned to go online to search and shop for bargain this summer.

But why are they going online? According to the survey:

- 62% think it's less hassle than shopping on the High Street
- 53% think there is more choice than in-store
- 51% think there is a better choice of stock/products than in-store.

"Online spending continues to fare well in the unstable economic climate," says Bruce Fair, managing director of Kelkoo U.K., "as consumers seek out the very best bargains and look to cash in on the convenience of no queues and a less stressful shopping experience."

Another reason put forward for the uplift in summer sales spending was the impending increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) due to come in to force in January, 2011.

Tags: e-commerce, in-store, online shopping, research, U.K.