Britons' £700m Online Christmas Day Spree

Consumers are expected to spend more than £700m online today, up more than 11% on last year's figure.

A record number of shoppers will also spend "a significant proportion" of Christmas Day searching for deals online or arranging to return unwanted gifts.

Figures from the data firm Experian (Other OTC: EXPGF - news) and the online retailing trade association IMRG suggest £738m will be spent online this Christmas Day. That compares to the £638m spent online last year.

Experian spokesman Nick Jones said: "We have already witnessed record-breaking spending over the festive period.

"On Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend, spending reached a phenomenal £3.3bn across the four days.

"Though the post-Christmas sales period might not reach these heights, retailers are certainly in for more bumper sales as consumers look to take advantage of further Christmas offers.

"On Boxing Day alone a huge £856m is expected to be spent, up 22% on last year.

"In addition, rightly or wrongly, we've seen more people than ever spending a significant proportion of their Christmas Day shopping online.

"Due to the rise of the use of personal connected devices, consumers can now shop for bargains on their mobile or tablet when they have a spare couple of minutes - even if that does mean sneaking away from the festivities and risking the wrath of family members."

Some 32% of those planning to shop on Christmas Day are motivated by a fear of missing out on bargains, according to a survey for Barclaycard.

The survey found that 18% of shoppers expected to be bored and are looking for something to do.

Another 15% want to buy replacements for gifts they do not like.

Most Christmas sales began online on Christmas Eve, but analysts have expressed doubts about their impact on consumers who have seen discounting since the week before Black Friday.