Online retailing is still booming in Europe. European digital commerce has continued double-digit growth, with turnover up 11% from €534bn in 2017 and 13% growth to €602bn in 2018. [p]
This is one of the many findings of the European B2C Ecommerce Report 2018, jointly conducted by Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce and launched yesterday. The report sets out the main trends, facts and figures for e-commerce, and provides information for each of the European e-commerce markets. [p]
Marlene Ten Ham, Secretary General of Ecommerce Europe, said: “As the European e-commerce association, we are delighted to see these figures because our mission is to strengthen and promote online sales in Europe. Our aim is to create a level playing field for digital commerce in EU countries and this data gives great insight into the European e-commerce markets and provides valuable information for companies that want to start selling products cross-border”. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) [p]
Online retailing is strongest in Western Europe, with approximately 68% of total turnover in Europe. This can be attributed mainly to the advanced infrastructure in this part of the continent, the high internet connectivity and the high level of consumer confidence in online shopping. Southern Europe, Northern Europe and Eastern Europe show a lower share of European e-commerce: 12%, 8% and 6% respectively. However, these are the fastest growing regions. [p]
The main trends identified in the report show thatthe largest e-commerce market in Europe is the UK (€178 billion), followed by France (€93.2 billion) and Germany (€93 billion). The UK scores highest also in terms of e-GDP (i.e. e-commerce turnover/GDP = e-commerce share of GDP), with a rate of 7% in 2017 and a projected 8% in 2018. [p]
The report also reveals the challenges consumers still face when shopping online. Among the top complaints are speed of delivery (17%) and technical failures (13%). Logistics performance plays a crucial role in the successful penetration and integration of e-commerce within a nation. Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden stand out in this respect, topping the list of European countries according to the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index. [p]
Christian Verschueren, Managing Director of EuroCommerce, commented: “These figures show how the rapid growth of online sales is driving and responding to changes in consumer shopping behaviour. In those markets where this trend is still slow, much progress could be made by investing more in the communications and logistics infrastructure that e-commerce needs to function effectively. In the meantime, we will continue to push for a regulatory regime that creates the right conditions for growth in all sales channels, and helps the EU to compete globally on retail innovation”. [p]
Source: Ecommerce news [p]
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