Online orders surge in 2009, says Coremetrics

Coremetrics has suggested that consumer confidence is on the rise this Christmas with the value of the average order placed online surging 94 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The company's Benchmark Survey of 150 top online retailers revealed that online shoppers favour the end of the week and are ordering more goods with a higher average item value.

The value of the average online order has increased 54 per cent since 2007, according to the study.

However, the effect of the recession on consumer spending last year is visible, with the average order value decreasing 20 per cent during 2007-2008, before rising 94 per cent from 2008 to 2009.

The number of goods that are purchased per transaction has also increased, from 2.7 items in 2007 to 3.7 per order in 2009.

The Benchmark figures measured the e-commerce data of 150 participating UK retailers, including Play, Net-a-Porter and Game, across the two weeks leading up to 7 December over a three-year period.

The figures also revealed which days were the most popular for online shopping in the UK.

UK shoppers followed a similar pattern to the US, where online shopping picks up following Thanksgiving.

During the last three years in the UK, shoppers have chosen to spend most near the end of the week, usually on a Friday.

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