Internet shopping is on the rise across the UK as consumers turn to the web to sort out their Christmas planning in increasing numbers.

But the West Midlands is resisting the call of the internet more than any other region, as locals stick to the high street and catalogues. The amount of shopping done online shot up by more than a third in the last year alone, with sales at online shopping sites like Amazon topping £16 billion in the UK, according to the British Retail Consortium.

It estimates that £1.8 billion-worth of Christmas-related goods will be bought on-line this year, approximately 15 per cent of the £12 billion that is expected to be spent on purchases overall. This is an increase of just over £200 million from 2006.

And consumer confidence in shopping on-line had increased, with the percentage of consumers only buying from brands they trust falling from 48 per cent in 2006 to just 34 per cent, intensifying the level of competition, due to the higher number of retailers vying for a share of on-line spending.

Kevin Hawkins, BRC director-general, said: "This Christmas the internet will be a more important channel than ever, as consumers take advantage of retailers' improved on-line offers, increased security and cheaper broadband.

But shoppers in the Midlands were the most likely to stick to traditional methods of spending at Christmas, with 45 per cent saying they would be doing most or all of their shopping on the high street – the highest percentage in the UK – according to the annual Deloitte retail review released earlier this week.

It showed Midlanders were planning to up their spending by four per cent this year, forking out £1.33 billion on food and drink, £2.89 billion on presents and £1 billion socialising.

And many of them were starting early, with 37 per cent saying they had started their Christmas shopping before the start of November. But despite the early rush in Birmingham, analysts said the signs for shops at the Christmas period were not looking good so far across the UK, with the season starting with "a whimper, not a bang", according to figures released by Footfall.

The retail research group said its Retail Footfall Index (RFI) showed shopper numbers fell 2.9 per cent in November compared to the same month last year.

"Our research suggests that the relatively poor show on the high street is due to shifting channel choice rather than declines in spending," said Experian's Martin Davies.

"The boom in online activity shows that UK consumers are still determined to celebrate this Christmas. Despite fragile financial markets, uncertainty about house prices and the likelihood of rising utility bills, consumer spending this Christmas is likely to exceed that of last year." He expected a last-minute surge of discounts and promotions on the high street.

Jason Gordon, senior manager at Ernst & Young, said the findings looked grim for the high street retail sector, saying: "It all adds up to a tense and troubled Christmas for much of the sector – we reiterate our forecast of very low like-for-like growth across the sector."