Online sales of electrical goods in March were 13 per cent higher than they were a year earlier and six per cent up on February’s tally.

The latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index showed sales covering all sectors were 15 per cent ahead of 2009 figures and 11 per cent up on February to reach £4.5 billion against £3.9bn a year ago.

Strongest performers turned out to be retailers with a store and online presence. These saw sales grow 28 per cent year-on-year while online-only players were only one per cent ahead of their March 2009 figures.

“These are solid figures, and prove the continued resilience of online retail,” said vice-president of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini, Chris Webster.

“The retailers themselves, particularly those with both an online and a store presence, have fought hard to attract and retain customers, even in a period of political uncertainty,” he said.

At IMRG, director of information Tina Spooner added: “The 15 per cent yearly growth in online sales is very positive and is evidence that e-retail continues to outperform the high street.”

She pointed out that a strong trend is emerging that high-street retailers with an online presence are playing an increasingly significant role in the e-retail sector.

“Retailers with a diverse multichannel offering will no doubt continue to reap the rewards of their investment in the online space.”

Jonathon Brown, head of online selling at John Lewis said March had been another very good month for johnlewis.com, helped by continued strong sales in core categories, and the effect of Easter. In fact, he said, sales were 48 per cent up on last year with great results across all areas.

Among the categories that produced notable performances was white goods where sales were more than 20 per cent up on 2009, he said.