Another batch of figures has been published bigging up online shopping. Despite security fears, UK shoppers splashed out a record £8.2bn in online shopping in 2005, according to a report by retail analysts Verdict.

And with e-shopping within touching distance of the £9.4bn spent in UK department stores last year, analysts say retailers must take e-commerce seriously.

The research revealed e-spending was up almost 30 per cent on last year - outstripping overall retail spending almost 20 times over - and that one in four people in the UK shopped online during 2005.

Last month, research posted by the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) found that online Christmas shopping was up almost 50 per cent, with punters splashing out £5bn in the 10 weeks to Christmas, compared to £3.33bn during the same period last year.

IMRG said Christmas sales capped off yet another good 12 months for online sales describing 2005 as a "year of remarkable dynamic growth for UK online shopping". ®

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