Maybe it was a result of the below-average temperatures, or perhaps due to increasing numbers of shoppers choosing to avoid the festive rush, but one thing's for certain: Christmas 2017 saw a definite spike in online grocery sales.
According to Kantar Worldpanel's market-share figures for the 12-week period to 31 December 2017, released last week, online supermarket sales enjoyed their biggest-ever Christmas, rising 4.9% year on year.
The biggest pure-play retailer in this space, Ocado, which recently toasted a high-profile link-up with Groupe Casino, comfortably outpaced the wider online market, increasing its sales by 8.4% over the period. This means that Ocado now accounts for 1.3% of the grocery market in the UK, making it the country's third fastest-growing retailer after Aldi and Lidl, albeit off a much lower base.
