Online retailers warned of busy week ahead

Online retailers are being warned to brace for what could be the busiest shopping day of the year next week.

Electronics retailer 247electrical has tracked data on online shopping for the past five years, and has warned that the first week in December is invariably the busiest for online shoppers.

The week beginning 3 December is the first after the November pay round and early enough to ensure delivery before Christmas.

"Consumers have been getting steadily more cautious since talk of a credit crunch and the fall in house prices first surfaced at the end of the summer," said Dominic Yacoubian, managing director of 247electrical.

"Many are therefore taking refuge in the internet. We have seen no let up in spending patterns in the back end of this year, and everything points to a surge in shopping in the run up to Christmas."

Yacoubian believes that the current economic situation may influence product-specific spending this year.

Last year's best selling items were MP3 players, but this year's big sellers have been high-definition televisions, indicating that people may be investing in products for staying at home.

Overall 247electrical reckons that over £13bn will be spent online in the UK during the last three months of the year, nearly double last year's total of around £7bn.