The United Kingdom

Six months after its debut in the U.S., Amazon Haul has now launched in the United Kingdom. The rollout is in beta, but Amazon has stated that “ultra-low-priced products” will soon be available to all customers in the United Kingdom.

The five largest ecommerce players in Italy account for 46 percent of the sales of the country's top 250 online sellers. Spain also sees a high concentration, with its top five players representing 41 percent of the market. In the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, the market is more evenly distributed. Yet even in those countries, the top 25 sellers are significantly larger than the 225 that follow.

eBay reported a revenue of 1.4 billion euros (1.5 billion dollars) in the United Kingdom last year, over a hundred million dollars less than the year before. In Germany, revenue remained more or less stable. The company is performing better elsewhere.

In the United Kingdom, 46 percent of online shoppers feel overwhelmed by the amount of options and information on retail websites. And one in five shoppers say that they stop shopping when they get a pop-up in the initial moments of a session.

Of the world’s 250 largest ecommerce companies, 95 have their headquarters in Europe. That is three more than in North and South America combined and significantly more than in Asia. Within our continent, Germany hosts the most headquarters.

Last year, Amazon once again outpaced the ecommerce market growth in both Germany and the United Kingdom. Its revenue reached 39.6 billion euros and 36.7 billion euros, respectively. The American company has managed to withstand the rising competition from Chinese platforms, with growth in the United Kingdom accelerating even.

Over the past year, Amazon has delivered more than one billion products to Prime members in the United Kingdom on the day of order or the following day. The American company continues to invest in same-day delivery and its network of pick-up locations.

OnBuy, a popular cashback marketplace from the United Kingdom, has quietly begun its European expansion. The business reports 30 percent day-on-day sales growth in key European markets, with a rapidly growing backlog of retailers.

A new European regulation imposes strict requirements on products sales in the EU market. Many online stores and marketplaces sellers in the United Kingdom lack sufficient arrangements and have opted to stop selling to customers in the EU altogether.

Shopify now supports payouts in multiple currencies for European merchants. For many larger online retailers, this eliminates a key reason to operate multiple stores simultaneously or opt for alternative ecommerce software.

During September and October, average return values reached almost 127 euros (106 British pounds) in the United Kingdom. This was a 7 percent increase from the same period last year. It seems that consumers are returning more high-value products.

The number of sellers on TikTok Shop in the United Kingdom has doubled within a year. According to the platform, there are currently over 200,000 businesses active on TikTok Shop, “as brands take advantage of the revenue potential of live shopping and shoppable videos”.

Amazon is introducing new return policies in the United Kingdom on November 11. International sellers will be required to provide a domestic return address or issue a return label; otherwise, the customer will receive a refund without needing to return the item.

OnBuy, a popular pure marketplace from the United Kingdom, has announced its international growth plans. By the end of this year, the rollout of 'The Cashback Marketplace' will begin across continental Europe, with the United States following next year.

Spending at major British online retailers was 3.2 percent higher in September than in the same month last year. This marks the first growth since April 2021. After nearly 3.5 years, a turning point has been reached, just as in other European countries.