Projected growth in broadband technology, which will make access to the Internet much quicker, is forecast to accelerate the shift by consumers to buy online rather than in the high street. Figures from Interactive IMRG (Media in Retail Group) have revealed that Internet sales are growing one and a half times faster than sales in bricks-and-mortar shops. In the month of November 2002, online sales hit £l billion for the first time. This was a 95 per cent rise compared to the same period last year, when total sales for the whole of 2001 were £1.8bn. Some 14.4m people shopped online in the UK this year but only a million had broadband. The take up of broadband is proceeding at a pace and reductions in pricing are a matter of "when "not "if" and it is generally accepted that when it breaks the £25/month barrier (currently between £28 and £30) take up will zoom.

Much of the online increase has been driven by purchases of clothing, electronic products and holidays but increasingly all retailers will have to address the problem of loss of market share to the Internet. The worst affected will probably be the independent sector.

For more information visit www.imrg.org