The latest publication from Hamburg-based desk research company yStats.com titled “Western Europe B2C E-Commerce Market 2022” shares insights into the development, latest trends, forecasts for online commerce in Western Europe, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The publication reveals that Google Pay was the leading payment app used by French adults, as of 2021.
E-Commerce sales revenue of top European online retailers saw an increase of almost 40% y-o-y in 2020, amid COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 enforced restrictions on movement in Western Europe, the retail market experienced significant changes such as the digitization of operations in 2020. The vast number of businesses/retailers in the region made a decision to invest in E-Commerce. The B2C E-Commerce sales value growth rate reached almost 30% y-o-y in 2020 from 2019, and despite the projected further decline in the growth rate, the market size is predicted to progressively accelerate, as is the share in the overall retail market, surpassing the 15 percent mark region-wide by 2025. The major markets in the region as well have seen tremendous developments in the online retail market, with the UK still being the regional leader in B2C E-Commerce market as it saw over 30% y-o-y growth in 2020. In 2021, the market share of B2C E-Commerce in the UK was expected to reach almost a third of total retail sales. Another advanced market, Germany had its B2C E-Commerce market increase by more than 20% y-o-y in 2020. Germany was estimated to be the sixth in online sales value globally in 2021. In Spain, the online sales value peaked in Q4 2020, a modest increase of 9% compared to the same period in the previous year. Furthermore, a considerable part of overall B2C E-Commerce sales value in Spain was held by transactions from Spain to abroad.
“Clothes”, “shoes & accessories” and “electronics” categories were the most purchased online in most Western European countries in 2020
Because consumer behavior rapidly changed after the onset of COVID-19, the preference for what to buy online varied in most countries. Generally, in most markets of Western Europe clothes, shoes & accessories, and electronics were commonly ranked as the top categories purchased when shopping online in 2020. For instance, in the UK, over half of respondents on average purchased clothing, shoes, and accessories online in 2020, which was the leading product category. In Germany, however, the fashion & accessories segment fell to second place, following consumer electronics, which in 2020 accounted for almost a quarter of total online sales. Appliances and technology was the top product category that consumers planned to purchase online in the future, followed by apparel and beauty & cosmetics, according to an October 2020 survey cited in the yStats.com publication. Technology/communication, entertainment/culture, and food were the top 3 product categories purchased online in Spain, as per a June 2021 survey.