Cyber Monday sales take off in a big way, surging 50 per cent at some outlets

Online retailers in the UK yesterday had a tough time keeping up with the heavy Cyber Monday shopping rush as shoppers eagerly clicked bargains driving up sales as much as 50 per cent at some outlets.

According to John Lewis, as of 11:00 am yesterday it was receiving two online orders every second and its total sales were up 55 per cent over the same day last year.

Tablets, micro scooters and cashmere were among the most popular items as shoppers searched for the best deals in time for Christmas.

Marks and Spencer clocked a record-breaking run before lunch yesterday for the number of orders received per minute.

Many stores dropped prices on presents by half as shoppers were expected to spend an astonishing £10,000 a second online.

Web stores were looking to 115 million visits yesterday, up by over a third on last year - and for shoppers to spend as much as £465million.