Consumers in Britain consider online shopping and home delivery a greener alternative to thehigh street, according to a new report released today following new figures showing a continued
boom in online sales in the UK.As many as 73% of shoppers consider online shopping to be more environmentally friendly thanshopping in the high street. This is 25% more than in 2009-10, the British e-commerce associationIMRG announced. And 64% of consumers would give priority to a carbon-friendly delivery solution,although 75% would not pay more than £10 a year extra to be green.
Online retail sales, currently growing around 10 times faster than conventional retail sales,are forecast to reach one-fifth of total retail sales in the UK by 2012. As a result, high-volumepersonal travel to shops is being replaced by consolidated van deliveries to the home.
Early findings from research carried out at the Heriot-Watt University also support theenvironmental benefits of online shopping, having previously found in a study that the carbondioxide emissions from a van delivery are significantly less than making a special trip to theshops to buy the same item.
Professor Alan McKinnon, Director of the Logistics Research Centre at the Heriot-WattUniversity, said: “Our research suggests that ordering goods online and having them delivered tothe home can be much more carbon efficient than travelling to the shops by car or bus to buy them.Internet retailing appears, overall, to offer a significant environmental advantage, though ratherthan rest on their green laurels, e-tailers and their carriers could be doing more to de-carbonisethe distribution of online orders.”
Meanwhile, online spending grew 20% to £4.9 billion in February, according to the latest figuresfrom the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. This was equivalent to £79 per person. During Januaryand February online spending rose to £10 billion. This strong growth was in stark contrast torecent reports that indicated the high street suffered its weakest sales growth for two years.
Sales in alcohol saw a massive increase in February as Brits stock up ahead of the expectedincrease in duty in the Budget later this month. Alcohol sales leapt 37% on January and up 25% onFebruary 2010. The clothing sector also saw a significant rise, with year-on-year growth reaching34%.
Tina Spooner, Director of Information at IMRG commented: “The February Index results paint anoptimistic picture for the e-retail market, especially when compared with the poor performance oftraditional retail sales last month. UK shoppers spent a staggering £10 billion online duringJanuary and February, a clear indicator of how strong consumer confidence is in the online channeleven during a period in which high street spending is down.”
