Online retail sales in the UK grew 9% in April as the country experienced the wettest April since records began.
Conversely, UK retail sales fell the most in more than a year last month as poor weather and consumer caution on spending curbed demand at stores.
The figures, from the British Retail Consortium figures showed today, as “the wettest April since records began” failed to inspire shoppers.
The growth in ecommerce came as high street sales fell back, with total retail sales down by 1%, compared to last April, and down by 3.3% on a like-for-like basis.
According to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor April 2012, the growth in online sales was the weakest since November 2011. The weakness was partly explained by a strong April 2011, but, said Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, the figure is indicative of a trend.
Stephen Robertson, Director General, British Retail Consortium, said: “The general trend for online retail is a slowing rate of growth, which is a sign of the market maturing. Growth of 9 per cent for this April is respectable but well behind the increase of almost 14 per cent for the same month last year. There’s major growth in sales being made via mobiles but that’s still a very small proportion of all the business being done.
“You’d think relentless downpours would help online retailing as people shop more at home, and there was some extra interest in gear for cold and wet weather, but any gains there were more than offset by consumers switching away from summer goods and by continuing consumer caution.”
The sales slump was partly due to the weather, which curbed demand for clothes, shoes and gardening equipment.
April registered the largest amount of rainfall for the month since records began in 1910, according to the U.K. Met Office. Sales a year earlier were boosted by the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The BRC said that even taking these factors into account, the figures were “disappointing.”
Read the full report here