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E-commerce market in Europe in the year of pandemic
Main insights from PostNord research. What should retailers expect in 2021?
E-commerce market in Europe in the year of pandemic
Main insights from PostNord research. What should retailers expect in 2021?
Since 2014, the Scandinavian company PostNord annually publishes research on the state of the
E-commerce market in Europe. Recently, the company has released the report for 2020. How did the E-commerce market grow? What are the reasons for this growth? What impact did the coronavirus have on the market? What can retailers expect in the coming year?
E-commerce market in Europe. Recently, the company has released the report for 2020. How did the E-commerce market grow? What are the reasons for this growth? What impact did the coronavirus have on the market? What can retailers expect in the coming year?
Since 2014, the Scandinavian company PostNord annually publishes research on the state of the E-commerce market in Europe. Recently, the company has released the report for 2020. How did the E-commerce market grow? What are the reasons for this growth? What impact did the coronavirus have on the market? What can retailers expect in the coming year?
- The growth of the E-commerce market is associated with consumer concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic. The largest growth in the E-commerce market occurred in Spain (44%), Belgium (41%) and Italy (37%) - the countries most affected by the pandemic. This is followed by the Netherlands (33%), Poland (33%), the United Kingdom (30%), Germany (29%), France (27%), Sweden (26%), Finland (25%), Norway (22%) and Denmark (19%). Due to the fact that people are afraid of the coronavirus, they prefer to make purchases online.
- The number of people who started buying food online due to lockdown increased to 30%. In Spain, 30% of respondents said they bought food online because of the pandemic. It is followed by France (22%), the United Kingdom (20%), Italy (20%), Sweden and Denmark (14%), Finland (11%), Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium (10%) and Norway (9%).
- The e-commerce market is already considered mature in Western Europe and continues to grow in Eastern Europe. Poland is considered to be one of the largest E-commerce markets in this region. About 90% of those who participated in the survey said that they made purchases online at least once a year.
Percentage of respondents who have become more likely to make online purchases due to the pandemic
Percentage of respondents who have become more likely to make online purchases due to the pandemic
- The United Kingdom and Sweden are the leaders in online spending. UK residents spend 1020 euros per person per year. In second place is Sweden with an average check of 1012 euros per year.
- Germany and the UK are Europe's strongest e-commerce markets. In Germany, 61 million consumers state that they have shopped online in the past year, and the figure in the UK is 49 million.
Purchaces from the marketplaces by country
Purchaces from the marketplaces by country
- Mobile E-commerce grew by 10% over the year. Now more and more people are making purchases from mobile devices. This trend has been accelerated by the fact that in Spain and Italy, where the market has grown strongly, most people use mobile phones more often than other types of devices.
- Consumers accept longer delivery times during the pandemic. Today, consumers in most European countries have high expectations regarding delivery time. But compared with previous years, demands are lower, probably since e-commerce and delivery times in many countries came under heavy pressure because of the coronavirus pandemic, a reason which many consumers can understand
Forecast for the European E-commerce market:
1. Pandemic driving e-commerce. Statistics show a strong link between concern over the virus and the proportion of consumers who shopped online more often.
2. Amazon is facing competition. Amazon, which played a key role in the formation of the E-commerce market in Europe, is now beginning to experience competition from new market players such as Alibaba. In 2019, the first physical AliExpress store in Europe (Madrid) was launched. Now, as Amazon is establishing a presence in Sweden, it will encounter a far more mature market than it is used to
3. Sustainability remains important. Sustainability continues to be an important issue, especially for consumers in mature e-commerce markets. E-retailers across Europe should take into account the continued importance of sustainability issues for a growing number of consumers.
4. Popularity of cross-border online shopping varies. This number varies from country to country, but it is known that most online purchases abroad are made by residents of Belgium. Buyers from Italy and Spain also often shop abroad, where purchases from China clearly dominate.
5. Demands for quick delivery vary. Buyers from Poland, the Netherlands and Germany place significantly higher demands on quick deliveries than online shoppers in most other European countries. A number of strong market players, such as Amazon, have driven the trend and raised consumer expectations for quick delivery.
2. Amazon is facing competition. Amazon, which played a key role in the formation of the E-commerce market in Europe, is now beginning to experience competition from new market players such as Alibaba. In 2019, the first physical AliExpress store in Europe (Madrid) was launched. Now, as Amazon is establishing a presence in Sweden, it will encounter a far more mature market than it is used to
3. Sustainability remains important. Sustainability continues to be an important issue, especially for consumers in mature e-commerce markets. E-retailers across Europe should take into account the continued importance of sustainability issues for a growing number of consumers.
4. Popularity of cross-border online shopping varies. This number varies from country to country, but it is known that most online purchases abroad are made by residents of Belgium. Buyers from Italy and Spain also often shop abroad, where purchases from China clearly dominate.
5. Demands for quick delivery vary. Buyers from Poland, the Netherlands and Germany place significantly higher demands on quick deliveries than online shoppers in most other European countries. A number of strong market players, such as Amazon, have driven the trend and raised consumer expectations for quick delivery.
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