Online retail sales rebounded in August, with online spending increasing 2.5% during the month and accounting for 28.8% of total retail sales, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
The figures, analysed by delivery specialist Parcelhero, follow a 4.2% fall in online sales values in July. Online spending was 8.9% higher in August 2026 than in the same month last year.
Across the three months to August, online spending increased 1.9% compared with the previous three months and was 10.1% higher year on year.
David Jinks MILT, Head of Consumer Research at Parcelhero, said the August figures suggested that July’s decline was a temporary dip rather than a reversal in online retail’s longer-term growth.
E-commerce’s 2.5% growth in August was almost twice the 1.3% rise in total spend across stores and online. As a result, the proportion of sales made online increased from 28.4% in July to 28.8%.
David Jinks MILT, Head of Consumer Research at Parcelhero
Non-store retail sales volumes, which are largely made up of online retailers, also increased by 1.7% in August. Over the three months to August, volumes were up 5.4%.
With autumn trading events and the Christmas peak approaching, Jinks said retailers would need to ensure their delivery services could meet consumer expectations around speed, affordability and reliability.
The ONS also reported that overall retail sales volumes rose 0.5% in August, following a 0.5% fall in July, while volumes increased 0.9% over the three months to August.
Read Parcelhero’s Delivering the Future report here.
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