From ChannelAdvisor Catalyst: UK eCommerce Landscape

ChannelAdvisor’s Catalyst event in London this week was a great opportunity to examine the trends and developments in ecommerce in Britain and abroad. Lots of exciting presentations and people were present. And I have a (papery) notebook full of scribbles to blog in the next week or so. Keep ’em peeled.

David J Smith of the IMRG provided a some interesting facts and figures about the state of UK ecommerce, here are some of the highlights. They provide a good snapshot of where we are and where we’re going. In short: all good news. “Ecommerce will buck retail trends,” he said, “and continue to grow. When the going gets tough, consumers go online.”

– IMRG Index shows that, between April 2000 and end of 2007 British ecommerce has grown 5213%. The total UK spend in 2007 was £46.6bn.

– 15p in the consumer pound is spent online. Despite economic worries, Q108 saw the biggest total spend online of any quarter since inception: £13bn (or £213 per head of population).

Demographics

-The gender breakdown of British online shoppers is (give or take less than 1%): 50/50 Male/Female.

– 21% of online spending comes from women 18-34. 50% of women over 25 buy clothing online.

– The fast growing group of online shoppers are the Over 55s. Over 55s will soon surpass the 35-44 year olds soon as the biggest group of online shoppers.

User Generated Content

UGC, such as customer reviews of goods and services, is becoming increasingly important.

– 71% of online shoppers read customer reviews.

– 70% find them useful

– 78% consider them the most credible form of advertising

– 97% of consumers are willing to trust customer reviews.

Random stats that might amuse…

– On Christmas day 2007, 4m British shoppers spent £84m.

– Marks and Spencer’s online sales enjoyed 78% YoY growth in 2007.

– In December 2007, 24 million parcels were not successfully delivered first time.

2 thoughts on “From ChannelAdvisor Catalyst: UK eCommerce Landscape”

  1. Pingback: Online Sales will Continue to Grow, despite a recession. « Small Business 2.0’s ‘Blog

  2. Pingback: Royal Mail Christmas Arrangements : Dan Wilson : eBay expert, social networking, online community, ecommerce, stuff

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