Online garden product retailers benefited particularly well from February’s unexpectedly warm weather, says a leading analyst.
Overall online sales recorded their strongest growth (+9.4% YoY) in six months, according to the IMRGCapgemini eRetail Sales Index. Despite falling below the five-year average of +10.6% year-on-year (YoY) for February, the growth provided some relief for online retailers after recent struggles.
The impact of the warm weather – which included the hottest February day on record – was particularly reflected in the garden sector, which experienced +33.3% growth compared to last year.
Health and Beauty also built on its recent strong performance with a +13.4% YoY increase for the month. In contrast, Gifts (-27.6%) and Electricals (-15.4%) both fared poorly during the month, and Clothing spend remained relatively flat (+0.9%) – perhaps due to it being too early for spring lines.
