Internet wins Christmas shoppers, but high street sales fail Boxing Day

The extensive promotional sales used in the run up towards the Christmas period appear to exhausted the consumer retail market, with very poor showings in the following Boxing Day sales.

There were fears that the Christmas market itself would be sluggish, but high street traders pulled out all stops to create a sales bonanza to entice even the most reticent spenders. Online vendors, such as Amazon, reported record sales, fueled especially by iPods and Apple products.

However, retail analysts Footfall in First full day of sales disappoints show Boxing Day custom was down by 16.1% compared to 2003.

In Poor start to High Street sales, the BBC also reports a masive shift to internet sales:

New figures showed internet traders were the big winners in pre-Christmas shopping, with ��400m spent online.

In pre-Christmas shopping, online retailers reported a 17.5% rise in trade over the first three weeks of December compared to the same time last year.

High Street stores recorded a 2% rise on last year’s period.

Link: Internet wins Christmas shoppers, but high street sales fail Boxing Day