Amazon and eBay account for 40% of UK e-commerce

The 2019 e-commerce market in the United Kingdom has been dominated by Amazon and eBay, according to insights from Edge by Ascential. The two e-commerce giants have a market share of 39.9%. Particularly Amazon is way ahead of all other online retailers in the UK-market.

The online marketplace platform saw its e-commerce share increase in the United Kingdom. In 2018, it accounted for 28.8% of the market. In 2019, this has grown to 30.1%, giving the platform a major lead over large local retail giants such as Sainsbury's and Tesco. eBay has a total market share of 9.8% of the online market and is followed by Sainsbury's (4.6%), Tesco (4.5%), Walmart/Asda (3.9%) and John Lewis (3.6%).

The future of UK e-commerce

For 2020 and upcoming years, the researchers think that the share of e-commerce of total retail will continue to increase in the United Kingdom. It is expected to grow from 21% now, to 26% in 2024. At the moment, the e-commerce market in the United Kingdom is the third-largest, only behind the Chinese and United States' markets.

According to Nick Everitt, Director of Advisory EMEA at Edge by Ascential, "The UK e-commerce market is the largest in Europe, and with increasing connectivity coupled with growing consumer demand for convenience, UK retailers are under serious pressure to revolutionise their omnichannel experience in 2020. This is all the more crucial as pure-play online platforms such as Amazon and eBay continue to expand and dominate in the UK market, driving third party operations that give greater control to brands selling on the platform but open up fierce competition and require care and attention from that selling in the marketplace. It’s important that retailers focus on their entire offering across the supply chain in order to meet the needs of consumers, whilst preparing in advance for impending challenges like Brexit along the way.”