The United Kingdom

Ecommerce in the United Kingdom was worth 133 billion pounds, or 153 billion euros, last year. This corresponds with a 16 percent growth of the industry compared to 2015, when consumers spent 132 billion euros online with UK retailers. This growth was partly due to an increased popularity of mcommerce.

British online fashion retailer ASOS saw its total retail sales increase by 36 percent during the four months ended 31 December last year. Especially in the United States and Europe the online-only retailer saw its sales grow strongly. In Europe, sales increased by 49 percent during that period.

Car manufacturer Hyundai has launched it's so-called 'click to buy' website, which lets customers buy a new car from their computer or smartphone. According to the press release, it's the first time a car manufacturer offers its customers nationwide the opportunity to buy a car completely online.

DPDgroup, the second largest international parcel delivery network in Europe, has taken full control of Wndirect, a global ecommerce parcels company. DPDgroup already was a shareholder in WnDirect for a couple of years, but has now acquired the logistics company.

Amazon has made history last week when it made its first drone delivery to a customer. The online retail company shipped a Fire TV stick and some popcorn 13 minutes after the customer in Cambridge, UK placed the order online.

Luxury fashion retailer Matches Fashion has introduced a 90-minute delivery service across London. Customers who live within the M25, the road that encircles almost all of Greater London, can place an order at 6.30 AM and have their order delivered to their homes at 8AM already. The service will launch next Monday.

Gourmondo, a German online distributor of unusual foods, is expanding in Europe. After launching in Germany and the Netherlands, the ecommerce website is now also available in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Austria. Consumers from these countries can now also buy wines and specialty foods online.

Spring Global Delivery Solutions has launched International Returns solution. This is a new service, which gives retailers several return solutions supported by an international network. Spring's customers can make use of a customizable platform and additional services, while offering their consumers worldwide returns.

The Competition and Markets Authority in the United Kingdom has found evidence online retailers are colluding on online marketplaces such as Amazon. It had warned several ecommerce companies against price fixing. Consumers were offered bad deals due to retailers discussing prices with competitors or agreeing not to undercut them.

Goodvidio, which helps online retailers increase their sales with product videos curated from social media, has finally launched its service out of beta. It has also announced integrations with popular ecommerce platforms like Magento and WooCommerce. With 1 million dollars of fresh funding, Goodvidio is looking to expand across Europe the United States.

UK-based ecommerce software provider Actinic has today launched a new version of its ecommerce platform. The cloud-based solution has put even more effort in a mobile-optimized solution, so its 10,000 customers can generate more sales from mobile users.

Deutsche Post DHL has reached an agreement to buy UK Mail for approximately 242.7 million pounds, or 281.6 million euros. With the acquisition, DHL will further strengthen its position in the European postal market, while putting more pressure on competitor Royal Mail in the United Kingdom.

The British fashion retailer New Look want's to further benefit from the German market and has launched a local online shop. The company wants to get a share of the online fashion market in Germany with its wide product range and a daily selection of new styles.

Consumers in the UK are spending 5.77 billion euros less with their favorite high street retailers online than they would have if there were more delivery options. If same-day delivery was a possible option, 72 percent of consumers would shop more, spending an average of 198 euros extra each year.

Klarna, one of Europe's leading payment providers, has announced it has partnered with Topshop-owner Arcadia Group to launch its sales financing solution 'Buy now pay later' in the United Kingdom. Customers of brands such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge now have the option to buy products online and pay for them over time.