Boxing Day was the biggest day for online shopping, with many people wanting to put in their orders for parcel delivery in order to beat the VAT increase.

Boxing Day was the biggest day for online shopping, with many people wanting to put in their orders for parcel delivery in order to beat the VAT increase.

Experian Hitwise, which provides information and research on internet use, said that visits to retail websites over the Christmas period increased by 13 per cent, compared to a two per cent rise last year.

The company added that the largest rise in sales was in the house and garden sector, "where retailers experienced a 67 per cent increase in traffic last week".

After Boxing Day being the most popular online shopping day, people bought items for parcel delivery pre-Christmas, with December 6th seeing a peak.

Robin Goad, research director of Experian Hitwise UK, said: "The stores that performed well in the list above generally did so because they were hosting a popular sale. UK sales-related searches increased by 25 per cent last week."

Experian Hitwise also found that the number of searches about the VAT increase rose at the end of 2009 and start of 2010, rising by 54 per cent last week.

Posted by Laura Rathbone

Article Added: 05/01/2010 14:41:25