E-commerce continues to expand in Europe and today as many as 270 million Europeans indicated that they regularly shop online. In parallel with consumers’ growing online shopping habits, another trend is emerging. More and more people are buying from outside the borders of their own country, with 3 out of 4 consumers in Europe made purchases from foreign markets, which equals 200 million consumers.  So, e-sellers can expand their work and adapt their offering to more international consumers.

PostNord is following the growth of e-commerce in the Nordic region and the European countries and regularly publishes a number of reports describing its progress. This report surveyed 10,000 consumers in Europe to investigates their online shopping behaviour.

The Top-line Findings of the E-Commerce in Europe 2018:

• Nearly 268 million European consumers made online purchases worth EUR 198 billion between 2017 and 2018. This represents a growth of 9.4% or EUR 17 billion compared to the preceding year.
• Germany dominates the highest number of online shoppers, while the United Kingdom has the highest proportion of online shoppers, followed by the Nordic and the Netherlands.
• Fashion is the most popular category of goods among European consumers, followed by home electronics and books/audiobooks.

A Figure Shows the Cross-Border E-Commerce in Europe 2018

The Content of “E-Commerce in Europe 2018” Report:

• Foreword: Consumers’ buying behavior increasingly global
• Overview: The European e-commerce market.
• Outlook: Marketplaces are continuing to grow in importance
• E-commerce in Europe: E-commerce in Europe 2018
• E-commerce in Europe: Top product categories bought by Europeans online
• Online shopping from abroad: Low prices get the interest of long-distance consumers
• Deliveries: Major differences in delivery requirements from one country to another
• Returns: Simple returns process – a way of looking after customers
• The online store: Customers demand clarity and simplicity from their online shop
• Mobile devices: Shopping via mobile devices is showing steady growth
• Interview: Zalando – A one-stop-shop for fashion in Europe
• Focus on: United Kingdom
• Focus on: Belgium
• Focus on: The Netherlands
• Focus on: Italy
• Focus on: Poland
• Focus on: Spain
• Focus on: Germany
• Focus on: France
• Focus on: Nordic region
• Detailed results
• PostNord – a partner for e-commerce

Number of Pages:

• 58 Pages

Pricing:

• Free

Methodology:

The report is based on interviews with (a total of) just over 10,000 consumers in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Germany. The interviews were conducted in May ̶ June 2018 with representative nationwide samples of private individuals aged 15-79 years.