The IMRG/Capgemini eRetail Sales Index for July showed ecommerce sales up by 11.5 per cent.  In all, a total of £5.58bn was spent online last month, 5 per cent up on the previous month.

The findings contrast with retail sales figures for July released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which found growth of 4.3 per cent in online sales.  It put the estimated retail goods spend in July 2011 at £26bn, up from £24.9bn the previous year, and up by 0.8 per cent on the previous month.

Taking online sales alone, the ONS figures found that the average weekly value of internet retail sales in July was £523.4m – about 9.1 per cent of total retail sales, excluding automotive fuel.  That equates to a rise of 32 per cent from last July’s £395.8m, when internet sales accounted for some 7.1 per cent of total retail sales.

PureNet’s chief executive, Dr Paul Gibson, said: “Between July and December last year the index recorded strong growth, with sales up 21 per cent year-on-year, and therefore over the coming months sales may well be slower, having come from a stronger base last year.  However, online retail continues to consistently deliver double-digit growth, despite the retail gloom on the high street.

“We’ve seen evidence that more than 90 per cent of online shoppers say they prefer shopping online to the high street, citing their hatred of queues and greater choice online as their main driving factors.

“The modern retail market is dictated by what the consumer wants, and online is becoming increasingly central to our shopping behaviour, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that consumers are turning to the internet for convenience and to find the best prices.”