Why is the UK at the forefront of the European e-commerce market?
E-commerce has long been an inseparable part of modern life. It is growing and changing rapidly worldwide. European e-commerce was worth 757 billion euros in 2020. In recent years, the number and share of online shoppers within Europe has increased. This is partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic pushing consumers to store online. The pandemic has had a noticeable impact on the retail sector. The UK has the most advanced e-commerce market in Europe, according to data from the Statista.
Those: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1113005/market-size-of-e-commerce-in-europe-by-country/
With a turnover of over EUR 200 billion, the UK is the absolute leader in e-commerce. 92% of UK online users ordered products or services online in 2020, according to the European E-Commerce Report 2021, with 98% of UK residents having internet access. So, almost every Brit buys online, but it wasn't just the coronavirus pandemic that influenced e-commerce in the UK. Another important impact was, of course, Brexit. But actually, the UK has always been economically strong in European e-commerce.
What do UK users buy most often?
The most popular websites in the UK, according to Statista:
- amazon.co.uk – any goods in mass demand
- tesco.com – Consumer goods
- argos.co.uk – Consumer goods
- sainsburys.co.uk – second largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom
- currys.co.uk – Electronics and household appliances
- johnlewis.com – Household goods, furniture and fashion
- ocado.com – Online supermarket
- marksandspencer.com – Clothing, household goods and food, mostly own brands
- asda.com – Supermarketette
- morrisons.com – Supermarketette
Those: https://de.statista.com/prognosen/860947/top-online-shops-grossbritannien-ecommercedb
Amazon.co.uk is therefore the leader in the UK e-commerce market with net e-commerce sales of 14,668 million US dollars in 2020, followed by Tesco.com with 7,589 million US dollars. Argos.co.uk is in third place with a turnover of 5,412 million US dollars.
The five most popular sectors in the UK, according toEcommercedb:
- Fashion - this is the largest segment in the UK and accounts for 31% of e-commerce sales.
- Toys, hobby & DIY take 19 %.
- Electronics & Media – 18 %.
- Food & personal care with 17 %.
- Furniture & household appliances - 15 %.
More than half of British consumers bought fashion or sportswear online. In 2019, around 60 percent of consumers in the UK used online shopping for clothing or sportswear - these are the results of theStatista-Analyse.
Mobile commerce in the United Kingdom
Smartphones are becoming increasingly popular for online shopping. In 2020, 43% of Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales were made via mobile devices. Im dritten Quartal 2021 betrugen Smartphones 72 Prozent der Besuche von Websites im Vereinigten Königreich und wurden für 67 Prozent der Online-Shopping-Bestellungen verwendet.
Which payment and shipping methods do consumers prefer?
There are the following factors that buyers consider when choosing a particular method:
- Security of the place where it is purchased
- Amount to be paid
- If interest-free monthly payments are offered
- If a direct discount is offered
- Preselection of a payment method
- You will receive points credit on your next purchase
The most popular payment methods in the UK
Those: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041922/consumers-preferred-online-payment-methods-uk/
PayPal
PayPal is one of the most popular payment methods. According to Statista estimates, there are over 66 million digital commerce users in the UK. And 49% of online shoppers from the UK use PayPal when shopping online.
Kreditkarte oder Debitkarte
37% prefer to pay for their online purchases by credit or debit card.
Google Pay
Google Pay and two other payment methods are popular with 3% of UK shoppers each. Users can pay for their purchases on websites or in mobile apps. Many online companies (for example Asos, Deliveroo, Ryanair) already offer this option.
Amazon Pay
Amazon Payments is a service with which Amazon customer accounts can also be used for online stores that do not belong to Amazon without having to disclose payment details.
Apple Pay
Apple Pay is a mobile payment service that allows you to make contactless payments stored on your iPhone, Apple Watch or Mac with compatible Touch IDs. It is also possible to use this service to pay on the internet or in mobile applications.
The most popular shipping methods in Great Britain
The following criteria are considered relevant for online shoppers when selecting the shipping method:
- The price. Users choose the shipping service provider according to the delivery costs.
- Delivery to your home or work at any time
- Delivery to home or work within the specified time
- The speed of shipping
- Collection from the store
- Courier service
- Delivery to the collection point
Royal Mail
According to a study from 2019, Royal Mail is the most popular parcel delivery company in the UK. More than half of respondents, 52.7%, prefer this option. With 23,000 collection points, Royal Mail is the most popular delivery method among UK shoppers. In 2019, the parcel service distributed 1.22 billion parcels.
Hermes
Over 4,500 pick-up points in the UK ensure such popularity for the service provider Hermes.
Parcelforce Worldwide
Parcelforce Worldwide is a courier and logistics service in the United Kingdom. Parcelforce Worldwide operates its collection and delivery services through a network of 54 "local" depots.
Those: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1069943/uk-most-preferred-parcel-delivery-providers/
The most popular store software in the UK
Those: https://trends.builtwith.com/shop/country/United-Kingdom
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress (also known as "WP"), the world's most popular content management platform. Many British online stores are based on this software. However, this store system is more suitable for small and medium-sized companies. There are over 185,000 WooCommerce websites in the UK - making WooCommerce the most popular software on the web. The list of all WooCommerce websites in the UK ishier.
Shopify
Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform that can be used to create a customized e-commerce store. To use this software, one just needs to pay a monthly fee and then build a web store. It offers several features to the store owners such as organizing the products, accepting payments, tracking orders and customizing the online store. This store software is one of the most popular in the UK. Shopify Enterprise (Shopify Plus) is also widely used among large online stores. There are over 153,000 Shopify websites in the UK. The list of all Shopify websites in the UK is hier.
Ecwid
Ecwid is a cloud-based e-commerce platform from California. Founded in 2009, the company now supports countless online stores in 175 countries and its offering is aimed particularly at small businesses. There are over 97,000 Ecwid websites in the UK. The list of all Ecwid websites in the United Kingdom ishier.
Wix Stores
Wix is an easy-to-use cloud-based platform that allows you to create HTML5 websites for e-commerce or personal use. Wix's website builder is renowned for its ease of use. There are over 95,000 websites in the UK today. The list of all Wix Stores websites in the UK is here.
Squarespace Add to Cart
Squarespace is a website system that makes it possible to create a website without any programming knowledge. It is very user-friendly and is often used by small business owners, solopreneurs and the self-employed. There are over 68,000 websites based on this software in the UK. The list of all Squarespace Add to Cart websites in the UK is here.
Magento
Magento is used in more than 240,000 stores worldwide and is present in more than 50 countries. It is the most popular store software in the world and is used by over 14,700 Magento online stores in the UK. The list of all Magento websites in the UK is here. Magento is also available in an enterprise version. This enterprise e-commerce software is suitable for very large companies, read why we recommend a migration from Magento to Shopware here. If you want to create an online store or change store software, we at Kenner Soft Services are ready to help you. Our e-commerce agency has already gained a lot of experience. We will be happy to advise you and prepare the best offer for you. Our e-commerce web agency will help you to create a perfect e-commerce website on Shopware and OXID.
