The online sales: Early bird catches the bargain as shoppers log on to beat the rush

Savvy shoppers did not have to wait until Boxing Day to begin their bargain hunting, with many high street shops starting their sales online on Christmas Eve.

An estimated 4.8 million people are thought to have spent about 153 million on Christmas Day, according to the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG).

The figures were backed by payments company Visa Europe, which estimated 960,000 transactions worth 36m were made on Visa cards on Christmas Day. Visa transactions are expected to account for at least 1 in every 4 spent.

John Lewis, which starts its in-store sale today, saw Christmas Eve online sales up 42 per cent compared with last year, with more than four products sold every second. More customers than ever chose to shop on johnlewis.com on Christmas Day. The site saw visitor numbers up 25 per cent and sales up 45 per cent. While traffic dipped between 1pm and 4pm as people enjoyed their Christmas lunch, sales peaked at 9-10pm.

The most popular Christmas Day purchases included feather pillows, pillow cases, luxury white towels, napkin rings, guest beds, a digital telephone with answering machine, Molton Brown bath and shower sets, LCD televisions and laptops.

IMRG managing director David Smith said: "Christmas Day has become a busy online shopping day in recent years, as people with an eye for value look to take advantage of the 24/7 nature of online retail."

Comparison website moneysupermarket.com predicted this year's Boxing Day internet sales would be the biggest ever, saying the UK was set to spend 323m online in a single day.

It has put the increase down to the looming VAT rise, coupled with seasonal sales. The forecast freezing temperatures and planned Tube strikes in London are also likely to see shoppers swap the high street for online.

Moneysupermarket spokesman Simon James said: "This year sees a unique combination of a challenging year of trading for many e-tailers leading to record discounts and frenzied buying before the increased VAT comes into place."