But research shows that commerce is still doing better than High Street retail.

The fifth quarterly UK online sales survey shows a continued slowdown in online retail growth for small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

The research, conducted by Actinic, reports both an average 7% increase in sales revenue as well as a 7% increase in the numbers of orders processed in the three months to 30 June 2011, when compared to the same quarter in 2010.

In contrast, in Q2 2010 growth was running at over double this rate (15%), and with the Q1 2011 figures showing an average 9% increase, the trend is downwards. However, these latest results still compare favourably with high street retailers where June gave only 1.5% growth.

The average order value has remained virtually unchanged at £72.08 for Q2 2011 compared to £72.16 for Q2 2010. The survey does highlight that there are still e-retailers experiencing strong growth. For example, many specialist web stores in the arts and crafts sector are thriving.

Nick Kington, managing director at Actinic Online comments: "These figures are not a big surprise. Consumer spending is clearly being hit  hard and online retailers are not immune to tough times. However, some web merchants are thriving, highlighting that a combination of good  merchandising, marketing and customer service can bring success even in the current climate."