The latest BRC-KPMG Online Retail Sales Monitor, covering the month of June 2015, saw furniture sales achieve their fastest online growth on record, excluding Easter distortions. According to several retailers, sales of outdoor furniture improved considerably, particularly as June concluded with much more seasonal weather. Others saw impressive growth for bedroom furniture. As with May, some furniture retailers are attracting consumers with promotions that are less frequent but more focused.
The month’s performance reflects GfK’s Major Purchase Index, which jumped up by 14 points to 16 in June.
Overall, online sales grew at their fastest rate since August, at 17.6% in June, after May’s slowdown to 9.9%, and were helped by an easy comparables in June 2014, which had seen sales growth of just 10.6%. Growth was predominantly driven by the fashion categories.
The proportion of UK non-food sales purchased online grew by a strong 1.5% over June 2014, to 18.4%. This is the highest penetration rate since January.
The online channel continued to be a key driver of UK non-food sales growth in June, contributing 2.1%. Compared to stores, online now consistently contributes more to three-month average non-food sales growth. In fact, over the three months to June 2015, online made its greatest percentage contribution since December 2013.
Helen Dickinson, director general, British Retail Consortium, says: “Online retail sales have experienced the best growth since August 2014, largely driven by fashion promotions. As ever, websites are popular during the sales, providing greater clarity of stock availability for consumers. For retailers, online is an increasingly useful tool to reach customers selectively and showcase their offer. Online sales strength is also shown in the fact its contribution to three month non-food sales growth has reached its highest proportion since December 2013. This highlights the variety of digitally focused roles in the retail industry. It also shows the increasing demand for skilled people to develop sophisticated online operations and a seamless connection between physical and digital space.”
