Retail sales fell in September: and retail’s white knight – e-commerce – suffered worst of all
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) first estimate of retail sales for September reveal the amount of goods bought by shoppers fell -0.2% compared to August, and that online sales stalled even more dramatically, says the home delivery expert ParcelCompare.
ParcelCompare’s head of consumer research, David Jinks MILT says: ‘We have grown used to e-commerce saving the day for retail, but last month online sales actually fell by -2% against August. Online sales as a proportion of all retailing was just 19.1% in September 2019, compared with 19.5% reported in September 2018.’
Explains David: ‘There’s little doubt Brexit battles made consumers wary in September, as the nation held its breath waiting to see if there would be a no-deal Brexit. Normally consumers turn to Amazon and eBay for a little retail therapy in times of trouble. But in September non-store retailing fell back -2.9% and online department stores a whopping -4.3% as shoppers tightened their wallets and their PayPal accounts.’
Concludes David: ‘If even e-commerce growth is faltering amid the general Brexit gloom, UK retail looks to be in a perilous position. October is likely to be similarly disappointing. Some kind of Brexit resolution in the run up to the peak Christmas season is the best hope for High Street and now even online retailers.’
