Shoppers in the UK spent £7.6 billion over the internet in the run-up to Christmas, more than double the amount expended over the same ten-week period in 2004.

The figure, a 54 per cent increase on the £5 billion that Christmas shoppers spent online in 2005, takes the total for internet spending for 2006 to £30.2 billion, according to IMRG, the internet research firm.

IMRG, which had forecast total annual spending of £30 billion, now expects online sales to rise to £42 billion this year.

Not surprisingly, flowers and gifts were the most popular online purchase in December, with sales up 142 per cent.

Clothing and footwear also enjoyed a strong performance, with sales up 64 per cent, while sales of electronic goods increased by 50 per cent, overshadowing the 6.9 per cent rise seen in sales of electrical products on the high street.

Despite IMRG’s optimistic predictions for online spending in 2007, a separate survey yesterday forecast that the rate of internet sales growth would decrease for the first time this year.

The study by Logan Tod, carried out by YouGov, suggested that the rate of sales growth would decline this Christmas.

It added that value for online retailers now lay in targeting high-growth market segments as a way of delivering above- average sales growth, instead of increasing the volume of internet shoppers.

Matthew Tod, of Logan Tod, said UK shoppers were tipped to spend a third more on online Christmas shopping this year.

In particular, customers aged 50 and over constituted “a major driver of growth”, having come into online shopping later than the younger generations.

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