IMRG has confirmed the nominees for this year's e-Commerce Awards for Excellence, highlighting some of the top companies and brands on offer to online shoppers and regular users of parcel delivery services.

The e-retail industry association noted that the number of entries continues to grow significantly and is up 147 per cent on last year.

IMRG said competition is "getting fiercer" and revealed that it required hours of deliberation to select the best entries in each category.

In a statement announcing the shortlists, the association added: "The e-Commerce Awards for Excellence are unique in the UK and will bring the whole industry together to celebrate its success.

"The awards categories have been carefully selected to show off the broad range of skills that are required for successful e-commerce as well as reflecting the contribution that e-commerce can make to society and culture."

Some of the biggest names are in the section covering the best multichannel retailer, where nominees include Argos, Debenhams, Schuh and Vodafone UK.

Other well-known brands, including ASOS and Littlewoods, have been put forward for the award acknowledging the best e-commerce marketing campaign, while PayPal, CashFlows and Jessops.com are up for an accolade recognising their payment innovations.

Other nominees include Very.co.uk (m-commerce strategy of the year), Crucial.com (best e-retailer delivery) and Shop Direct Group (large e-retailer of the year).

A ceremony to announce the winners will be held on October 2nd - the first evening of the e-Commerce Expo - at the Brewery on Chiswell Street in the City of London.

The latest figures from IMRG show that the UK's online shopping sector experienced a strong first half of the year, with Britons spending nearly £35 billion on the internet during the period, compared to £31 billion in the first six months of 2011.

Electrical products made a strong contribution to the growth, with June sales jumping 35 per cent from the same month last year.

Author:  Adrian Medland