Some recent facts about e-commerce

E-commerce grew by 39% in the UK in 2002

Online shopping and other forms of e-commerce grew by 39% in the UK in 2002, compared to the previous year. The Office for National Statistics stated that the £23.3bn spent over the Internet in 2002 made up 1.2% of the year's total sales, principally in the wholesale, retail, catering, travel and telecommunications sectors.

E-commerce in retail alone grew by 44% in the UK in 2003

Recent figures from the Interactive Media in Retail Group reported a growth rate for the online retail sector last year of 44%, 12 times more than the UK retail market as a whole. Forrester Research has predicted a 46% growth in the sector in the last quarter of 2004 alone, boosted by the spread of broadband services. Over the 2004 Christmas holiday period retail purchases over the Internet are expected to be worth £3.3bn.

UK women outspend men online

Two findings that demonstrate how comfortable purchasers are with buying over the Internet are that:

• female shoppers, with an average annual bill of £495, outspend their male counterparts by £25 and the difference is increasing.
• those over-55s who shopped via a website last year bought more than £527 worth of goods and services - more than any other age group.

10% of all UK credit card payments are made online

10% of all credit card payments in the UK are now made online, according to Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS). The number of credit card payments made online has increased five-fold since 1999 as customers increasingly use the Internet to buy books, CDs, computer equipment, holidays, financial services and groceries.

37% traditional retailers are using the Internet

In 2004 37% of retailers are selling through a combination of the Internet, stores and catalogues, whereas only 26% were doing the same in 2003.

67 million Europeans shop online

Researcher IDC states that there were 67 million Internet shoppers in Western Europe by the end of 2003, and they are expected to spend €20 billion in 2004

UK retail Christmas shopping is on the up

Monitoring company FootFall said that there were 5% more shoppers out compared with the same weekend 12 months ago.

Jewelry and watches gain in St Valentine sales

Spending by US online consumers on traditional Valentine's Day gifts in the run up to 14 February 2004 increased by almost 50% from the same period in 2003 (rising to $188 million from $126 million) according to an analysis by comScore Networks. The largest increase in Valentine's spending occurred in the jewellery and watches category, growing 62% and beating flowers and gifts by 5%.

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