The number of Christmas hampers purchased online could rise this year, as consumers are likely to spend more via the internet than they will on the high street.

That is according to a survey by the Centre for Retail Research, on behalf of Kelkoo, which showed that online sales will climb by 16.3 per cent this year, with offline transaction set to decline by 2.1 per cent.

Overall Christmas sales are expected to increase by one per cent to £69.09 billion, up from £68.41 billion last year.

Chris Simpson, chief marketing officer at Kelkoo, said that online spending shows no signs of slowing down.

"Internet sales across the UK are set to be more important than ever, with consumers spending record amounts online and online commerce acting as the primary driving force for overall retail growth during the festive season," he added.

A recent study by VoucherHeaven.co.uk found that 19 per cent of people plan to spend more on gifts - which could include Christmas hampers - for loved ones this year than they did 12 months ago.