Online sales grew by 12% in July 2015, and mobile sales by 42%: IMRG

By Chloe Rigby

August 18, 2015 - 10:32 am

Online sales grew by 12% and mobile sales by 42% in July, according to IMRG figures out today. Online fashion sales, found the IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index grew quickly but sales of electricals lagged.

When travel was excluded, sales rose by 15%. Conversion rates, at 5.1%, were the highest recorded so far this year. Average basket value reached £78 during the month.

“During the early part of the year we saw fairly unpredictable growth rates in e-retail, but higher conversion rates and lower average basket values have been consistent trends,” said Tina Spooner, chief information officer, IMRG [IRDX VIMR]. “However, while the percentage of online browsers converting to shoppers hit a high for the year in July, the average basket value remained unchanged from July 2014 – this follows five consecutive months of annual decline in average basket values.

“With the slow start to the year, it may be that retailers felt pressured into longer and deeper sales campaigns to stimulate activity, and that we are now in a summer season where shopping has ‘normalised’ to an extent before we enter the festive trading period.”

Clothing sales turned in healthy growth during the month, rising by 14% compared to the same time last year. That double digit growth comes for the second month in a row – in June, sales were up by 18% on last year. Electricals sales grew by an underwhelming 5%. Betweeen January and July, sales in the category grew by just 3%, compared to 15% at the same time last year. Meanwhile, gardening sales have fallen by 14% over the year to date.

Alex Smith-Bingham, head of digital, consumer products and retail at Capgemini [IRDX VCPG], said: “The continued solid performance of the Index will be reassuring to the UK’s retailers, and is a clear reflection of the ongoing consumer confidence in the health of the economy. The decline in big-ticket items from the electrical sector will continue to leave its mark, but with the new iPhone 6S anticipated to launch in September, we could see a very significant boost before the end of the year.”