Retailers will invest about £390m in online advertising for their festive campaigns so that they can target social media sites according to market analyst Nielsen.

Shops such as Littlewoods, the Co-op and Waitrose have launched their campaigns in the last few days with John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams getting ready to screen their adverts this week.

According to the Advertising Association the total spending on online advertising is expected to rise by 11% more than last year, nearly three times the rate of growth in TV spend.

Paul Bainsfair, director general of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, said: "Look at people watching TV in an ordinary home: most has access to mobile phones or tablets, which they interact with at the same time as watching a show," he said. That connection, he added, was driving advertisers to integrate their campaigns.