Online sales are expected to reach £5 billion for December as UK shoppers head online.

Online shoppers look set to spend a whopping £350 million today (7 December) on what e-retailers predict will be the busiest day of the shopping calendar – Cyber Monday.

The phrase – Cyber Monday – was coined by the US National Retail Federation, and has become a shopping phenomenon in the UK as online sales peak on the last Monday of November and the first in December.

“Christmas shopping has really kicked in now despite the economic climate, with shoppers buying lots of toys and clothing as well as loads of other gifts from us ahead of Christmas day,” said Play.com’s Chief Operating Officer Stuart Rowe.

The online entertainment retailer, together with Amazon, predicts that today (7 December) will be their biggest sales day in the run up to Christmas. Last year, more than 1.4 million items were ordered in 24 hours on Amazon on the first Monday in December and the retailers predict 2009 could see even more orders.

Play.com is predicting that the big sellers this year will include: Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2, Take That – The Circus Live DVD and The Twilight series. 

IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) Director of Operations, David Smith, said: “IMRG members are gearing themselves for a very busy Christmas [...]. Online retail has consistently delivered double digit growth throughout 2009 as consumers switch to the convenience and price savings available on the internet.”

Research conducted by eDigitalResearch in partnership with IMRG, revealed that 71% of people said they would be doing half or more of their shopping online.

Bruce Fair, Managing Director of Kelkoo.com said that consumers may be looking to spend more online as they can save on average 15% compared to the high street.

Johnlewis.com reported its highest ever online sales for one week for the week ending 5 December after beating the previous record set just a week earlier.