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A Mamma Mia DVD for grandma, check; Top Gear top trumps for the petrolhead in your life, check; and maybe a Borat-style mankini as a comedy festive gift? These were among the top-selling Christmas gifts yesterday in what many experts believed to be the UK's busiest online shopping day ever.
Despite tales of gloom on the high street, commentators said online sales on "mega Monday" may have surpassed £320m, while retail trade body IMRG expects online spending to hit £13bn overall in the run-up to Christmas - 15% more than in the final quarter of last year.
Yesterday's spending frenzy peaked at 1.02pm, when figures from payment card provider Retail Decisions show shoppers spent more than £1m in a minute.
"It's certainly looking like our biggest ever day," said Robin Terrell, managing director of JohnLewis.com. "We had our record week last week and so far sales are up 10% on last Monday."
The second Monday in December is now established as the biggest online shopping day of the year when shoppers order goods they have spotted on the high street in good time for Christmas.
The British Retail Consortium yesterday reported a 2.6% drop in high street sales in November year-on-year. But online, the debit card provider Visa said last week that purchases had already reached £600m.
"The internet has become the best place for shoppers looking to make the most out of their squeezed spending resources and find the best prices and products for presents this Christmas," said David Smith, director of operations at IMRG. "Online has definitely come of age this Christmas."
At Dixons.co.uk, sales have been buoyed by demand for the Nintendo Wii, flat panel TVs and a Christmas favourite, the iPod.
The virtual tills were ringing at Amazon, where the mankini was among the bestsellers. Spokesman Damian Peachey said it was "certainly a busy day", but he added that it was possible the retailer would have an even busier day's sales before Christmas.
Bruce Fair, managing director of price comparison website Kelkoo.co.uk saidyesterday was the biggest day for searches this year, but he expected next Monday to break records.
"Retailers are offering guaranteed Christmas delivery later than ever," he said. "Users are holding out a bit longer this year to make sure they don't miss out on the best deal."
This year's most wanted
DVDs Mamma Mia, The Dark Knight, Wall-E
Video games Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit, Mario Kart with Wii Wheel, Official Wii Wheel, Wii Nunchuk Controller
Books The Tales of Beedle the Bard, JK Rowling; Dear Fatty, Dawn French; Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Barack Obama
Toys Silverlit PicooZ Helicopter, Original Rubik's Cube, Top Trumps-Top Gear, Biscuit the Dog
Electronics iPods, flat panel TV, Netbook, Kodak digital picture frame
Source: Amazon, JohnLewis.co.uk, Dixons.co.uk, Kelkoo.com
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