Online retail sales in the UK exceeded expectations in December 2013, with the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index recording 18 per cent year-on-year growth as a result of British shoppers spending £11 billion (€13.33 billion or $18 billion) online – up from £9 billion spent in December 2012. Much of this success can be attributed to the growing influence of m-retail in 2013, with sales via mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) increasing 138 per cent on 2012. As with the wider e-retail sector, a strong year for m-retail was topped by a very strong performance during December, with 27 per cent of all online sales coming from a mobile device, equating to £3 billion. This is twice as much spent during the same time the year before. The overall performance caps what has been a very positive year for the Index, which recorded a total of £91 billion spent online. The Index increased 16 per cent over the 12 months, far exceeding IMRG and Capgemini's original forecast of 12%. It is now estimated that e-retail accounts for 21 per cent of the total retail market. Report