This Christmas, UK retailers need to make sure their websites and apps are up to speed, or risk missing out on their share of the potential £6.85 billion online spend, according to a new study commissioned by Rackspace®. The research shows that almost four in ten (38 per cent) online shoppers abandon websites or apps that take more than 10 seconds to load, and close to half of them (45 per cent) then turn to the competition to make their purchases.

Key findings from the study include:

• Nine out of ten UK adults (90 per cent) are planning to purchase at least some of their presents online in the lead up to Christmas, an 18 per cent increase – representing 8.7 million more people – compared to last year’s 72 per cent.
• Two-thirds (66 per cent) plan to buy half or more of their presents online, with the average online spend per shopper at £158 – or £6.85 billion in total across the UK adult population.
• M-commerce is growing too, with almost one in four (23 per cent) intending to buy a Christmas present online using a smartphone or tablet. This is a 6 per cent increase on last year, and represents an additional 2.9 million people.
• Books are set to be the most popular online Christmas purchase, with 43 per cent of those surveyed planning to buy them. They are followed by DVDs and games (42 per cent), clothes and accessories (40 per cent) and electrical goods such as cameras and laptops (33%) – the latter indicating a growing trust in online shopping as a way to purchase ‘big ticket’ items.