United Kingdom: 9% Year on Year growth in online shopping

An annual United Kingdom report published by Royal Mail states that online shopping in the UK has risen by 9% year on year. The research states that online shoppers in the United Kingdom make 87% of their retail purchases online, up from 80% in 2017. The proportion of money spent online has increased, mainly as shoppers look for good value for money. Main reasons for shoppers to buy products online remain the ability to compare prices and have a wider range of choice in products as opposed to shopping in-store. On average, shoppers spend £34 on each online transaction.

Men typically spend more money online than women. On average, men spent £255 online over a period of three months, whereas women spent £204. Another typical conclusion is that younger shoppers typically buy more frequently online than shoppers of an older age. On average, those aged between 18-54 years purchased seven items, compared to six for those over the age of 55 years old.

A rising trend in the use of social media sites to shop online can be seen. One in five consumers in the UK purchased an item after seeing something on social media. Typically, consumers following in the following groups, younger shoppers (48 percent), women (29 percent) and those living in urban areas (38 percent),  are significantly more likely to have purchased items after seeing posts on social media.