By Claire West
Experian announced today that visits to websites peaked at 107 million visits on Christmas Day, up 86% from the previous year.
Many big high street names recognise the power of online shopping and started their sales on their websites on Christmas Day, causing a record number of consumers surfing the web for bargains.
Chris Thomas, CEO and founder of the UK’s largest independent shoe retailer, Cloggs.co.uk, said, “Christmas Day itself and Boxing Day broke all records, in terms of visitor numbers and sales as people took advantage of aggressive discounting available across all big brand names.
“Our busiest days of the year were Christmas and Boxing Day, when we experienced a record level of visitors and sales through handheld devices. We have seen an increase of 1000% compared to last year. Consumers are checking offers and prices and making purchases on the go, wherever they are and whenever they feel like it. Retailers who respond to these changes in behaviour will be the real winners this Christmas.”
“Adaptability is the name of the game. Cloggs started as a traditional high street shop, and while we continue to use our high street presence to best effect, we are now also the UK’s largest independent online shoe retailer. This movement is customer-led and reflects the changing conditions of retail which will prevail not just this Christmas but from hereon in.
“Those retailers who follow the customer on this journey, responding to these changing trends and offering a seamless service across all platforms, can survive and even thrive in this austere market. Those who fail to do so will be the ones who lose out.”
