UK online retailers enjoy November bounce after poor year

UK online sales rose by 16.4% year-on-year in November, thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is the highest growth since April 2018, according to IMRG and Capgemini research.

It’s a much needed boost for a space that has experienced an underwhelming 2019. “The jump in November sales this year was well beyond expectations after an otherwise difficult year. Could this be what retailers, or rather, consumers were waiting for?” comments Lucy Gibbs, Senior Consultant at Capgemini.

”The uplift in revenue during Black Friday week was very strong at +11.7%, but actually growth was sustained across the whole month. There was a trend for retailers starting their campaigns earlier in the month this year and shoppers seemed to respond readily,” adds Andy Mulcahy, Strategy and Insight Director at IMRG.

It would, however, seem odd if retailers suddenly experienced consistently strong Christmas trading after such a poor year. “Since November captured a high share of sales volumes, will shoppers have anything left to buy in December? Early anecdotal evidence suggests December trading was very subdued in the first week – how is it going to balance out overall?” Mulcahy concludes.