Slow start to 2015 continues for online sales in February

Online clothing sales were up just 4% year-on-year, compared to a much healthier 20% in February 2014, but other sectors performed more positively. Valentine’s Day helped boost sales in the sectors traditionally associated with romantic presents, including gifts which grew an impressive 30% month-on-month and 28% year-on-year. Similarly, the lingerie and health & beauty sectors saw a year-on-year jump of 22% and 19% respectively.

The alcohol sector also enjoyed strong growth in February following the end of ‘Dry January’, with online sales surging 42% on the same period last year; the highest annual increase recorded for this sector since April 2011.

Tina Spooner, Chief Information Officer, at IMRG said: “While the UK online retail market has seen a relatively weak start to the year, the latest results reveal a number of lower-ticket sectors performed well during February, including health & beauty, lingerie and gifts, which were no doubt boosted by Valentine’s Day.
 
“It is interesting to see that the high street / multichannel retailers have seen a stronger start to 2015 than their online-only counterparts, with online retail sales up 8% year-to-date, while the latter group have recorded just 2% year-on-year growth.  However, looking at the mobile commerce performance of these two groups, it is clear that the pureplay merchants are ahead, with annual growth in sales via smartphones and tablets reaching an average of 89% over the past six months, almost three times the growth rate recorded by the multichannel retailers.”

Alex Smith-Bingham, Head of Digital, Consumer Products and Retail, Capgemini, commented: “February’s Index would suggest there has been little cheer to be had for retailers so far this year. Subsequent months will show whether this is a new pattern of steady muted growth or a blip.  As we move into spring and out of the cold winter months, shoppers will be keen to update their wardrobes and make the most of the new clothing lines being introduced. As long as online retailers are prepared to make the most of the opportunity, we should see a gradual uplift begin in March.” 

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About the ‘IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index’
The IMRG Capgemini Index, which was started in April 2000, tracks ‘online sales’, which we define as ‘transactions completed fully, including payment, via interactive channels’ from any location, including in-store. 
Over one hundred e-retailers now regularly contribute data to the IMRG Capgemini Index, including A. Hume Country Clothing, Addict, Alison at Home, Amara, Appliance House, Arcadia Group (Burton, Top Man, Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Wallis, Miss Selfridge), Ask Direct, ASOS.com, B&Q, Bank, Berry Bros & Rudd, Blacks, Boden.co.uk, Boohoo.com, Boots Direct, Brora, Buyagift.com, Carphone Warehouse, Charles Tyrwhitt, Clarks, Crocus.co.uk, Dabs.com, Damart, Debenhams, Deckers, Dune, Dunelm Mill, Effortless Skin, Ethical Superstore, Firebox, First Choice, Freemans Grattan Holdings (Freemans, Grattan, Look Again, Kaleidoscope, Curvissa, Swimear365, Witt International UK), Game, Get The Label, Greenfingers.com, Home & Cook, House of Fraser, JD Sports, JD Williams, John Lewis Partnership, Ladderstore.com, LK Bennett, M and M Direct, Majestic Wine, Marks & Spencer,  Millets, Moss Bros, Naked Wines, NaturalCollection.com, New Look, Next, Perfect Handbags Perricone MD, PetPlanet.co.uk, Pitchup.com, Prezzybox.com, QVC, Redfoot Revolution, Sainsbury’s, Scales Express, Schuh, Scotlight Direct, Scott, Shoe-Shop.com, Shop Direct Home Shopping (Kays, Littlewoods, Very, Very Exclusive, Isme, Woolworths), Serenata Flowers, Size, Sofa.com, Sofa and Home, Sparkling Strawberry, Sunshine.co.uk, SuperGA, SuperGroup, Tesco.com, The Body Shop,  The Mat Factory, The White Company, This is Pulp, TUI UK, Turton Wines, Waitrose, Wilkinson Hardware & Wynsors World of Shoes.
 
About IMRG
For over 20 years, IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) has been the voice of e-retail in the UK. We are a membership community comprising businesses of all sizes – multichannel and pureplay, SME and multinational, and solution providers to industry.
We support our members through a range of activities – including market tracking and insight, benchmarking and best practice sharing. Our indexes provide in-depth intelligence on online sales, mobile sales, delivery trends and over 40 additional KPIs.
Our goal is to ensure our members have the information and resources they need to succeed in rapidly-evolving markets – both domestically and internationally.
www.imrg.org 

About Capgemini
With more than 140,000 people in over 40 countries, Capgemini is one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. The Group reported 2013 global revenues of EUR 10.1 billion. Together with its clients, Capgemini creates and delivers business and technology solutions that fit their needs and drive the results they want. A deeply multicultural organisation, Capgemini has developed its own way of working, the Collaborative Business ExperienceTM, and draws on Rightshore®, its worldwide delivery model. 
 Learn more about us at www.uk.capgemini.com.

Rightshore® is a trademark belonging to Capgemini