Online shopping on the rise in Europe

Category: Ecommerce

May 6th 09, 09:10

New research has revealed that a growing number of European Union (EU) consumers are turning to e-commerce websites for their shopping needs.

According to the European commission's (EC's) Barriers to E-commerce report, 33 per cent of EU consumers bought at least one product online last year, up from 27 per cent in 2006.

This figure rises to more than 50 per cent for consumers in the UK, France and Germany, the EC noted.

However, one major obstacle to the growth of e-commerce in the EU is the slow take-up of cross-border selling, the EC claimed, with less than one-tenth of consumers buying items online from websites based in other EU countries due to barriers such as language and geographical segmentation.

"Consumers have everything to gain from the internet. It expands the size of the market they operate in and gives them access to more providers and more choice," said EU consumer commissioner Meglena Kuneva.

The EC has also launched a new online guide for EU consumers about e-commerce shopping and other internet-related issues this week.

This news story was brought to you by Bluhalo, a leading UK digital agency.


Related News

  1. Digital marketing 'can boost offline sales'
  2. Tips offered to e-retailers mulling a new website design
  3. User-generated content 'can aid SEO'
  4. Ecommerce firms urged to look to social media