Consumer behavior

Ikea has opened its hundredth mobile pick-up point at Tesco, the largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. On this occasion, the Swedish furniture retailer announced plans to double this number. Almost 40 percent of Ikea's UK sales now come from the online channel.

One in three (34 percent) of online purchases in the first half of this year in Spain were placed on Chinese platforms, such as Alibaba, Temu or Shein. The market share (in terms of order frequency) of these platforms is far higher in Spain than in other European countries. However, Spanish consumers spent a lot less on these platforms than consumers from other countries.

Despite the rapid rise of Chinese platforms, Amazon remains immensely popular in the United Kingdom. The company has managed to maintain the number of monthly active users since the beginning of this year. Shein is growing, but Temu saw a decline in the number of users.

Despite a drop in revenue, Zalando remains the largest online retailer in Switzerland. The local online department store Galaxus, now the new number 2, saw its revenue increase significantly last year. Temu is the only newcomer in the top 10.

Within four months after its launch in France, Temu has managed to achieve a larger market share in terms of value than its competitor Shein. It has not yet surpassed AliExpress. Additionally, 96 percent of Temu customers in the last 90 days were repeat customers.

No country in the world has as many internet users shopping online as the Netherlands, according to a new report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The ecommerce penetration rate is 84 percent. At least four out of five internet users in the UK, Sweden, and Denmark also shop online.

During the second quarter of this year, online sales in Germany increased 0.2 percent compared to that same period last year. This is the first market growth in two years. However, when looking at the first half year of 2024, sales are still 1.2 percent lower than last year.

Ecommerce in Spain amounted to over 84 billion euros last year, marking a 16.3 percent growth compared to 2022. Most digital trade transactions have an international dimension: in the last quarter, Spaniards spent nearly 60 percent of their money, that was spent online, abroad.

Two in ten surveyed online shoppers in the United Kingdom begin their search for products on social media. However, only 7 percent finalize their orders through this channel. Most of them finalize their purchase on a retailer’s website or app.

Back Market, a marketplace for pre-owned phones, laptops, and other electronic devices, posted a 45 percent revenue growth last year, reaching 320 million euros. The growth continues unabated, and the company expects to turn a profit for the first time this year.

British retailers and brands are not benefiting from the growing cross-border ecommerce spending on the other side of the Channel. Especially providers of clothing and footwear have seen their sales in continental Europe drastically decrease after Brexit.

Half of the top 100 retailers in the United Kingdom do not show delivery information on product pages. This impacts customer satisfaction. And of the retailers who do show delivery information, nearly 40 percent miss their own advertised delivery times.

Amazon is the largest online furniture retailer in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy. In France, the American giant lags behind Ikea, which also ranks in the top three in other major European countries. Only in Germany does a local player, Otto, lead the market.

Online spending in Turkey more than doubled last year, the Ministry of Commerce reports. Significant growth is expected again this year. This is largely the result of inflation, but there is also considerable autonomous growth.

At least 95.8 percent of European consumers shopped online in the first quarter of this year. In the United Kingdom, that percentage was 93 percent. And in the Netherland, 96 percent of consumers shopped online.