UK adults 'most likely to use online retail services'

14:22 17th February 2010

Companies in Lancashire could benefit greatly from using online retail services to sell goods, new research has revealed.

According to Eurostat figures, published in a chapter of the Office for National Statistics' (ONS') Social Trends report, 66 per cent of those aged 16 to 74 bought goods and services via the web during 2009.

The figure highlighted that UK adults are the most likely in the European Union to buy online, as the continent-wide average stood at just 37 per cent.

Other research that showcased the potential of having an online presence included National Literacy Trust figures that show in 2007, websites were the second most popular source of reading material outside school for English boys aged between nine and 14.

For girls, emails were the second most common type of reading material.

The release of the ONS report has come after figures from the British Retail Consortium revealed that online retail sales were up 14.6 per cent in January from 12 months earlier.

Sharon Hardiman, head of non-store retailing at the organisation, said that the wintry weather encouraged many people to shop on the internet "rather than going out in the snow".

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