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Ecommerce By Country

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By Becca - April 9, 2019- in Go-Getter Blog

Ecommerce market in Europe is growing each year, therefore, we decided it was time to dedicate a blog post to help you decide which country in Europe you want to market to next. 

Let’s get started! 

retail ecommerce sale in European Union

Here are the top ecommerce trends according to Worldpay if you are looking to capitalize on the global ecommerce and mcommerce opportunity:

  • One-click ordering: The ability to save customers payment details for one-click ordering. 
  • Target regions individually: Consider the most popular payments methods in each territory.
  • Cross-border trade: Offer a wide range of currencies at checkout.
  • Local Language Support: Consider outsourcing and hiring freelancers within the country to help you deliver a great shopping experience.

For now, let’s dive on in and take a look at the top European ecommerce players. 

Here are the top 9 European ecommerce leaders:

United Kingdom

Population of the UK: 65.4M

Ecommerce Customers in the UK

Despite the chaos around the unknown decision of the UK leaving the European Union, the UK continues to lead the ecommerce market in Europe.  

The UK has one of the most robust internet infrastructures with a 95% penetration rate. Only 8.4% of adults have never used the internet in 2018. That makes the UK a great market to tap into, especially when the majority of consumers speak English, so there is no language barrier. 

Shopping Behavior

UK shoppers make 87 percent of their retail purchases online. Their average online order value is almost 38 euros ($42.80).  

Cross Border Purchases

  • USA
  • China
  • Germany 

Preferred Payment Method

  • Credit/Debit Card 
  • PayPal 
  • Direct payment through banks 

ecommerce in Europe graph

Marketing

In the UK, 25-34-year-olds are the most active online shoppers. With robust internet infrastructure, social media is one of the most important drivers of buying behavior. About 22 percent of consumers purchased a product after seeing it on social media. 

UK Internet Use by age group
Source: Office for National Statistics

Germany

Population: 80.3M

Ecommerce Customers in Germany

According to Statista, 77.3% (63.9m) of the German population were ecommerce shoppers in 2018. Despite the economy’s slowdown, Germany’s ecommerce market is the second largest in the EU.


retail Ecommerce sales in the Germany
Image Source emarketer.com

Shopping Behavior

According to Criteo’s Global Commerce Review, more than half of online retail sales happen through mobile. Germans prefer the convenience that mCommerce provides. 

Furthermore, digital buyers in Germany are more likely to pick up ecommerce orders from lockers in train stations or other public places in comparison with other European countries that prefer at-home delivery. 

Cross Border Purchases

  • The UK
  • USA
  • China

Preferred Payment Method

  • Credit/Debit Cards 
  • Invoice 
  • PayPal

Germans tend to avoid any kind of debt, cash continues to be preferred payment method. Payments up front are quite uncommon, Germans prefer to pay afterward. 

Marketing

Include product descriptions, information about shipping terms, and clear presentation of home page

Top marketing channels include; paid display, social media, and traditional advertising. 

Do your target market research, in Germany, you can find slight differences between shoppers from Western and Eastern Germany due to WWII, however, the differences are slowly diminishing.  

France

Population: 67.6 M

Ecommerce Customers in France

The French marketplace is the 3rd largest ecommerce market in the EU. Gourmet food and high-end fashion, travel, and tourism continue to rule the economy.

France ecommerce sales
– French Ecommerce sales (Image Source Market Place Pulse)

Shopping Behavior

Clothing and home decor are one of the top-selling online categories in France. Check out canvas selling guide to get started. 
graph of number of online shoppers in France in millions

Cross Border Purchases

  • Germany 
  • The UK 
  • Belgium
  • USA
  • China 

Preferred Payment Method

  • Credit/Debit Cards
  • Visa
  • PayPal 

Marketing

In France, sales are state-regulated. Two major sales run during summer and one after Christmas, therefore, you should pay special attention to paid/search & localized advertising.  

Warning:  Trust is an issue. French shoppers don’t like to shop on foreign websites. In order to capitalize on French market, one must use more established sellers such – Amazon.   

Spain

Population: 46M 

Ecommerce Customers in Spain

Despite global slowdown uncertainty, Spain is set to keep growing. Spain has a large population of Internet users (82.20%) and 66.80% of the population are smartphone users. That makes Spain a country with the perfect conditions to take advantage of mcommerce. 

Shopping Behavior

Spanish consumers are less loyal to one brand, we are seeing an increase in brand variety. Home furnishings – canvas, blankets, and posters are popular ecommerce shopping choice. 

Cross Border Purchases

  • Latin America
  • USA
  • The UK
  • China 
  • Germany 

Preferred Payment Method

  • PayPal 
  • Debit/Credit Cards 

Marketing

Men spend on average more than women. Over 51% of consumers look at the actual website before buying. Spain consumers make the most purchases over the weekend.

Major Buying Holidays 

  • Epiphany/Day of Three Kings (January 6, 2019)

  • Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2019)

  • Father’s Day (March 19, 2019)

  • Mother’s Day (May 5, 2019)
  • Summer Sales (First 3 weeks in July)
  • Black Friday / Cyber Monday (November 28, 2019) 

  • Christmas (December 25)

Italy

Population: 60.6M

Ecommerce Customers in Italy

Ecommerce in Italy is on the rise. Italians love to buy from abroad. That means they are more likely to wait longer for the package to arrive. Customers also prefer free delivery, free return, and no hidden fees.

Shopping Behavior

Spanish consumers are quite indecisive – may take them a few times to visit the store before buying.


popular product categories in Italy

Cross Border Purchases

  • The UK 
  • USA
  • China 

Preferred Payment Method

  • Credit Cards (CartaSi)
  • PayPal 

Marketing

Use abandoned card recovery email, wishlist function, and other email updates to enhance buying behavior.

Over 90% of the population speaks Italian, add a multi-language option to your store.

Italians usually buy between 0-4 products, increase order average value by adding upsells & cross-sells.

Major Buying Holidays 

Sales vary by region. SALDI means sale. 

  • Turin (Piedmont): from 6 July to 31 August 2019
  • Florence (Tuscany): from 6 July to 15 March
  • Genoa (Liguria): from 6 July to 3 September 2019
  • Bologna (Emilia Romagna): from 6 July to 4 September 2019
  • Venice (Veneto): from 6 July to 31 August
  • Rome (Lazio): 6 July to 15 August 2019
  • Naples (Campania): 6 July to 30 August 201

 

Denmark

Population: 5.7M

Ecommerce Customers in Denmark

Denmark has the highest percentage of consumers who bought clothes and shoes online from abroad in all Nordic countries. 

Although Danish consumers enjoy cross border purchases trust in foreign products decreases with the increase of the distance. 

Shopping Behavior

Danes have high expectations for quick delivery due to the size of the country. 

Preferred Payment Methods

  • Debit/Credit Card 
  • Online Banking
  • PayPal 

Cross Border Purchases

Denmark's top 5 most popular countries to shop from

Marketing

Optimize checkout for your customers, provide currency conversion and suitable payment methods. 

Use local marketing and SEO to drive traffic to your website. 

Give Danish customers convenient, informative, and full insight into the delivery process. 

Norway

Population: 5.23M

Ecommerce Customers in Norway

Norway consumers love to cross-boarder shop. Norwegians make the most cross-border purchases among northern regions. 

Shopping Behavior

Norwegians love a good bargain that’s why China, UK, and the United States are high on the list. With that said, Norwegians have low expectations for fast deliveries. 

Preferred Payment Methods

Debit/Credit Cards 

Cross Border Purchases

TOP MOST POPULAR COUNTRIES NORWAY SHOPS FROM

Marketing

Add verified payment methods. 

Poland

Population: 38M. 

Poland economy is expanding quickly. Polish consumers consider online shopping as uncomplicated, comfortable, time efficient, and cheaper. New and emerging markets have less competition and, therefore, Poland is a great market to tap into when are starting. 

Ecommerce Customers in the Poland

  • 24.1 million people use computers.
  • 22 million use smartphones and tablets. 
  • Only 16% of Poles have shopped in foreign stores.
  • 40% of Poles have never shopped online internationally. 

Shopping Behavior

The strongest motivation factors for shopping are cheaper delivery costs and affordable prices.

Preferred Payment Methods

  • Pay-by-links
  • Debit/Credit Cards 
  • PayPal 

Cross Border Purchases

  • Germany 
  • China 
  • Italy 
  • Russia
  • Czech Republic 

Marketing

Fully localize the buying experience.

Add ecommerce optimized translation, size conversion, currency conversion, localized marketing, local payment methods, and shipping optimization to level the playing field with local sellers. 

Czech Republic

Population: 10.6 M.

Ecommerce in the Czech Republic

Like any other country mentioned, the ecommerce business in the Czech Republic is booming. Online shopping is preferred by younger generations; millennials and Generation Z. 

Men mainly purchase electronics, while women buy clothes.

Some global Internet marketplaces are active with localized sites but most major U.S. firms are still absent from the market. 

Shopping Behavior

Cross-border purchases are growing because of lower prices and products that are not available within the country.

Preferred Payment Methods

  • Credit Cards
  • Bank Transfer 
  • Mint 

Cross Border Purchases

  • Poland 
  • Germany 
  • Slovakia 
  • France 
  • China 

Marketing

When marketing to Czechs, make sure to translate to the Czech language. Add verified payment methods (Visa, PayPal). Include prices in Czech Crowns. Have very detailed About Me Page.

Over to you…

When you are ready to launch to the other side of the pond we got you covered. 

Our merchandise is ready to be shipped within 2-3 after the purchase. Standard international shipping takes 1-4 weeks. 

Any customs fees are to be paid to the appropriate customs agency by the customer. Contact your cart platform’s support team to get more detailed information based on the country you plan to market to. 

We ship worldwide aside from Cuba, Falkland Islands, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, and Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

We ONLY provide full tracking information for these countries: 

Canada
Great Britain
Germany
France
Italy
Spain
Australia
New Zealand
Singapore
Belgium
Netherlands
Denmark
Finland
Sweden
Switzerland
Ireland
Israel
Poland
Portugal
Brazil
Croatia
Estonia
Gibraltar
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Malta

Any countries that are not listed above, tracking stops once the package is handed over to the international carrier. For these countries we do not receive additional tracking updates, therefore we are not liable once they have been given to the international carrier.

Where will you take your business next? The world is your oyster, how will you explore it next.

2 thoughts on “Ecommerce By Country

  1. Thanks for such an article but honestly, you should also start by providing prices in EUROS and add METRICS into you size tables. I’m a french seller, selling mainly in Europe and when i asked to your customer service about this, they reply i have to manage this on my own, what a great support ! I’m about to build my shop with you and i have to RETYPE all size charts in Metrics and import them into each of your products description…very friendly (Not).

    1. Hi Robustbear,
      Thank you for reaching out. I know that setting up a shop, especially metrics can be incredibly time-consuming, however, we do not have a way to provide prices in Euros yet. We do appreciate your suggestion and will keep it in mind for future updates.
      Thank you!

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