Online shoppers spent nearly £4 billion in August

British shoppers spent 3.8 billion online last month - a 16 per cent rise on spending in August last year.

Although overall month-on-month sales dipped by 10 per cent, this was close in line to seasonal trends from previous years, according to the latest IMRG/Capgemini Sales Index .

The clothing sector, which was down from July's sales like most other sectors, still performed well, with spending up by 16.5 per cent compared to August 2008.

It was said that the clothing, accessories and electrical sectors were doing particularly well due to improvements in the online customer experience, in addition to competitive pricing and better returns policies.

"It is no coincidence that in these sectors retailers are making the greatest strides to improve their online offer, with improved visuals, enhanced product information, more convenient delivery and return models and an increasing use of web 2.0 techniques," said Mike Petevinos, head of consulting for retail at Capgemini UK, in a statement.

Tina Spooner, director of information at IMRG, added that the annual growth in the online retail market showed it was withstanding the challenges of the economic downturn, and would reap the benefits during the Christmas period.