// Online sales accounted for more than a third of total retail spend in January
// The ONS said 12.2% of all grocery sales were made online during the month
// Total retail sales fell 7.2% year on year
New research has found that online sales have risen in the last month to account for more than a third of total retail spend – the highest proportion on record.
The amount spent via digital channels made up 35.2 per cent of overall retail spending in January, according to the ONS.
This compares to 19.5 per cent a year ago and 29.6 per cent during December 2020.
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The ONS said 12.2 per cent of all grocery sales were made online during the month, which is the highest level recorded.
However, total retail sales fell 7.2 per cent year on year as the sector continues to be impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Excluding fuel, sales were down 4.3 per cent compared to January 2020.
Sales volumes dropped 5.9 per cent year on year including fuel and 3.8 per cent excluding fuel.
Compared to December 2020, the amount spent in retail in January dropped 7.8 per cent including fuel and 8.3 per cent excluding fuel.
Sales volumes also fell sharply month on month, dropping 8.2 per cent including fuel and 8.8 per cent excluding fuel.
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