With the pending arrival of Amazon it’s tipped that retailers with “excellent” web sites will see a lift in sales as more consumers get use to transacting online.
New research reveals that consumers will not only lean more heavily on ecommerce to complete their holiday shopping this year, but they’ll also spend more online than in a bricks and mortar store.
According to the NPG Group nearly 40 percent of consumers anticipate that they they will fullfill their Xmas shopping needs by shopping online. 
This is up one-third on two years ago, according to the research group.
Those who shop online also plan to spend roughly 70 percent more than their in-store-only counterparts. Online shoppers anticipate spending an average of
$793 while those who will only shop in brick-and-mortar stores plan to spend an average of $467.
“Online is going to play an increasingly critical role in the 2017 holiday shopping season,” said Marshal Cohen, NPD chief industry analyst. “Retailers, big and small, recognize online retail’s importance and have been turning up the volume on their online strategy this year, which will only intensify during the holidays.”
Purchase frequency is also growing online while decreasing in stores. During Q4 2016, consumer e-commerce purchase frequency increased 12 percent to
an average of more than six online orders, while brick-and-mortar consumers made an average of 18 purchases, a 4 percent decline from the prior year.
