June’s heatwave shifted a greater share of UK non-food spending online, as high temperatures weakened store visits and altered demand across categories ranging from cooling products to gaming and larger household purchases.
The latest retail sales monitor produced by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG showed total UK retail sales increasing by 1.9% year on year during June. Headline growth remained modest, while the difference between digital and physical channels was considerably sharper.
Online non-food sales rose by 5.1%, well above their 12-month average growth rate of 1.5%. In-store non-food sales declined by 1.1%, and the proportion of non-food purchases completed online increased to 39%, compared with 37.7% a year earlier.
Electric fans and paddling pools performed strongly as households responded to the heat, while gaming products and several larger discretionary categories weakened. Major sporting events supported some food, drink, and viewing-related purchases, although they did not remove the broader pressure on consumer spending.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Electric fans and paddling pools performed well, as people looked to cool off, while the lure of the sunshine meant that gaming and big-ticket sales struggled.”
She added: “A heatwave doesn’t just change how customers shop – it makes retail operations more challenging, from keeping shelves stocked to keeping products and people cool. These pressures come on top of rising business rates, higher employment taxes and ongoing global uncertainty, all of which are squeezing retailers’ ability to invest, create jobs and keep prices down.”
Weather related shifts can reverse quickly, and a strong month online does not necessarily represent a permanent transfer away from stores. Some purchases are simply completed through a different channel, while others are brought forward, delayed, or replaced as temperatures change.
Retailers nevertheless require operating systems capable of responding when traffic, product mix, and fulfilment demand change abruptly. Warehouses and stores need additional cooling, chilled supply chains become harder to manage, and employees may require altered working practices during periods of extreme heat.
Seasonal products can sell faster than stock is replenished, while goods ordered months earlier may be left unsold if conditions change. Accurate inventory data and flexible allocation allow retailers to move products between stores and digital fulfilment centres, reducing the risk that demand is missed in one channel while stock remains elsewhere.
The economics of online retail remain demanding. Home delivery, returns, packaging, warehousing, payment processing, and customer acquisition all affect margin, and a transaction transferred from a store to a courier network may be less profitable even when the selling price is unchanged.
Physical stores continue to support online activity through collection, returns, product discovery, service, and local fulfilment. The June figures therefore reinforce the value of integrated retail operations rather than a simple choice between shops and ecommerce.
Customer behaviour increasingly crosses several channels before a purchase is completed. A shopper may research online, inspect a product in store, order through a mobile device, and return it to another location. Retailers need systems that recognise the relationship between those interactions rather than attributing the sale to a single point.
Weakness in big-ticket categories deserves closer attention because furniture, electronics, and other expensive discretionary purchases are exposed to household confidence, borrowing costs, and uncertainty over future income. Warm weather can delay those transactions, although sustained softness would indicate a deeper reluctance to commit.
The cost base also limits how retailers respond. Employment costs, property charges, energy use, security, technology, and supply chain disruption reduce the scope for discounting, holding excess stock, or rapidly expanding fulfilment capacity.
Weather volatility makes historical sales patterns less dependable. Seasonal planning has traditionally used prior-year demand, school holidays, promotional calendars, and major events, yet more frequent periods of extreme heat, heavy rain, or unseasonable temperatures require shorter forecasting cycles.
Suppliers are affected alongside retailers. Manufacturers and distributors may need to alter production and delivery schedules quickly, while imported seasonal goods cannot always be redirected once they are in transit.
Customer expectations remain high when demand shifts online. Shoppers avoiding uncomfortable stores still expect accurate availability, reliable delivery dates, simple returns, and rapid support, and a sudden digital increase can expose weaknesses in websites, contact centres, warehouse capacity, and courier partnerships.
Retailers will need to examine whether the 5.1% rise in online non-food sales produced profitable growth or merely transferred transactions into a more expensive channel. Stock accuracy, fulfilment cost, return rates, and customer retention will provide a fuller view than revenue alone.
Subsequent trading will show whether the channel shift persisted after the hottest conditions eased. June’s figures already demonstrate how modest market growth can conceal substantial differences by product, location, and route to purchase, placing greater pressure on forecasting and operational discipline.
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