As it has here, ecommerce in Europe is continuing to experience double-digit gains, increasing 11% in 2017 to $624 billion or 534 billion euros, with projected growth of 13% in 2018, according to a report from Ecommerce Europe.
For some perspective, ecommerce in Europe totaled 307 billion euros just five years ago, or $359 billion, the report stated.
Western Europe accounts for the majority of ecommerce sales on the continent, representing 68% of the total, compared to 12% for southern Europe, 8% for northern Europe and 6% for Eastern Europe. However, those regions are seeing the fastest growth; for instance, Romania’s ecommerce sales grew at a rapid 37% last year.
The United Kingdom ($208 billion), France ($109 billion) and Germany ($108.7 billion) continue to be the biggest European ecommerce markets, representing more than 66% of the total.
Amazon is the most popular online marketplace in Europe according to the report, with 25% of all survey participants saying they made their last cross-border purchase there, followed by Alibaba’s Ali Express (14%) eBay and Wish (8% each). Ali Express, the marketplace of choice in eastern Europe, was most popular in Russia (69%) and the Netherlands (35%).
In total, 38% of shoppers opting for ecommerce in Europe ordered from abroad in 2017, with half of them buying from other EU countries.
You can download the entire report here.