The introduction of a ‘firebreak’ lockdown in Wales has led to an 88 per cent jump in revenue for online stores according to new data.
The first week of the nation’s two-week period of tightened measures saw takings shoot up for the online sale of non-essential items as Christmas draws near and consumers look to knock items off their lists.
Site traffic also increased by 44 per cent according to the research from Liberty Marketing and a 74 per cent jump in products purchased.
England also noted increases as a second national lockdown was introduced, but a 22 per cent showed the move online was slower there.
Managing director of Liberty Marketing, Gareth Morgan says restrictions on essential retailers selling non-essential items means they may be losing out to online retailers now.
“From a retail perspective, this can’t be what the Welsh government had hoped for.
“Stopping Welsh supermarkets and smaller retailers from selling non-essential items isn’t preventing those items from being bought, but instead is sending consumers to online stores – many of which are based outside of Wales,” Mr Morgan said.
“The decision could backfire by hurting the Welsh job market instead of protecting smaller businesses.
“This also shows that, if you’re a small Welsh retailer, it’s more important than ever to have a functional, trustworthy e-commerce store to capture the increasing numbers of people who are buying online today, and will continue to do so in coming months and years.”
When Wales announced their two-week lockdown, the rule to stop the sale of non-essential items was brought in so shops which were forced to close would not lose out during the tightened restrictions.
