Experts at leading online shopping directory www.shopsafe.co.uk are warning High Street retailers that the pre-Christmas snow could put a dampener on festive sales if they do not have adequate websites.
Last year, many retailers saw significantly decreased footfall as snow started to create disruption in the build-up to Christmas. The current snowfall is likely to be in a similar position to leave the High Street out in the cold during one of the busiest periods of Christmas shopping.
However, online shopping has continued apace, with customer-friendly websites benefiting the most from consumers staying indoors.
Last year’s snowfall saw a decrease in footfall of up to 26%, according to figures released at the time by the British Retail Consortium.
www.shopsafe.co.uk is an online directory visited by, on average, 10,000 people a day accessing 4,000 retailers, including huge names such as House of Fraser, Amazon, Next and Hamleys.
Simon Crisp, director of www.shopsafe.co.uk said: “People have stopped travelling where it is not vital, so online retailers are where the money is going as people can’t get to the shops.
“We are hearing of an even bigger than normal increase in e-tail traffic during this period, boosted by the snow, but if a website is not up to scratch then customers will move on to another retailer because there is so much choice out there. A consumer who can’t get to their favourite store will search for their online presence, if that leaves them cold, they will move on and find another seller.
“People are being reassured by those websites which are keeping visitors updated, for example Amazon and others are advising that deliveries, although slightly delayed in some areas of the country, are still getting through.”