Online retailers in the UK are preparing themselves for what is normally the busiest Internet shopping day of the year. The first Monday in December is considered by online retailers to be the peak, with sales expected to £350 million for the day, according to the BBC.
Internet retailers have already seen a surge compared with last year, when the busiest day saw sales reach around £320 million. Despite this, online spending still accounts for just 4% of total retail sales.
Evidence of an online spending surge are good so far. The British Retail Consortium said that sales were up 17% for November compared to November 2008, and retailer John Lewis said that last week saw its best sales figures for both the high street and online. An estimated 29 million people purchased Christmas presents online last year, with 5.2 million suggested to have done so at work.
However, with increased online shopping also comes more victims of fraud and fake websites. The Office of Fair Trading said in May that almost a third of Internet users did not shop online because of a lack of trust. Tony Neate of Get Safe Online has said that shoppers should take extra care to scrutinise websites carefully.