Christmas web sales 'hit £7.7bn'

Online demand remains strong

UK consumers spent £7.66bn ($15bn) shopping online in the run up to Christmas, a report has said.

Sales were close to £1bn a week during the first three weeks of December, e-commerce analysts IMRG reported.

The figures, for the ten weeks to 24 December, marked a 54% rise from last year's total of £4.98bn.

Shopping websites reported strong demand across all sectors, with consumers placing online orders for everything from toys to TVs, IMRG said.

"Consumers just couldn't get enough of internet shopping at Christmas - it seems to match their mood and aspirations," said managing director Jo Tucker.

Total online sales for 2006 reached £30.2bn, topping IMRG's own forecasts for £30bn.