Number of Online Shoppers in the UK Continues to Grow

Hamburg, Germany, September 22, 2012 --(PR.com)-- In the United Kingdom, not only does the number of Internet users continue to grow, but also the number of online shoppers. Whereas in 2010, two thirds of the British population ordered products and services online, in 2011 this figure increased to more than 70%, compared to an EU average of less than half of the population making online purchases.

Food and Fashion Items are important British E-Commerce Product Categories
In the first half of 2012, shoppers in the UK spent almost 35 billion GBP online, which shows a clear increase when compared to the previous year’s figures. Forecasts for 2012 predict an increase in B2C E-Commerce revenue of a high one digit percentage figure in the UK. "Fashion and sporting goods" were the most popular product categories in 2011, followed by "travel" and "household items." Other successful product categories were "movies/music" and "books and magazines." Online food purchases are also becoming increasingly popular. Revenue from online food purchases is expected to grow by more than 10 % annually over the next few years. Fashion and clothing are likewise popular E-Commerce products in the UK. Almost half of all consumers make at least one purchase per month in this category. Aside from purchases, researching product information about fashion items is also a popular trend.

Significance of M-Commerce for B2C E-Commerce continues to grow
Mobile shopping is another growing trend in the UK. As much as 5% of all E-Commerce revenue is generated using mobile devices. Additionally, more than half of all smartphone users have made at least one purchase with their mobile phones. Safety and transaction speed are particularly important for consumers in this context. Furthermore, researching product related information with the help of a mobile phone is widespread in Great Britain.

Amazon is far ahead of the Competition
According to the "UK B2C E-Commerce Report 2012" by yStats.com in the UK, Amazon has the highest number of unique visitors, clearly ahead of generalists Argos and Tesco which combined have fewer unique visitors than Amazon alone. Generalist Asda is also very successful in the UK. B2C E-Commerce revenue generated by the company increased by more than one third from 2010 to 2011.

Daily Deal Websites also highly successful in Great Britain
The popularity of daily deal websites in Great Britain is soaring. In the first quarter of 2012, the top three market leaders Groupon, KGB Deals and LivingSocial sold almost 4 million coupons there, generating revenue of almost 200 million GBP. Also, third party websites informing about daily deals play an important role.

Overall, the B2C E-Commerce market in Great Britain is highly developed, which is reflected in decreasing revenue growth rates in the long term. However, there is still potential for growth, such as in M-Commerce and with daily deals.

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yStats.com has been committed to research up-to-date, objective and demand-based data on markets and competitors for top managers from various industries since 2005. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, the firm has a strong international focus and is specialized in secondary market research. In addition to offering reports on markets and competitors, yStats.com also carries out client-specific research. Clients include leading global enterprises from various industries including B2C E-Commerce, electronic payment systems, mail order and direct marketing, logistics, as well as banking and consulting.