RETAIL ENVIRONMENT
Germany looks to the UK for online sales
British cities and towns may be playing host to German street markets this Christmas, but German shoppers are themselves targeting UK online retailers for their purchases, according to new research.
The study by Royal Mail has found that one in five online shoppers in Germany have purchased from a UK website in the last three months.
The study also found that these shoppers spend an average of €54 per month on UK websites and do so in order to purchase items that are “exclusive” and not available locally.
In addition, the research reveals that the average shopper in Germany spends €116 per month on shopping when groceries are excluded, with €97 of this being spent online. Royal Mail also found that the average German online shopper is 48 years old, more likely to be female and live in an urban area.
Meanwhile, just under a third of German shoppers were found to use their smartphone or tablet to purchase items online compared to the international average of 51 per cent and UK average of 53 per cent.
The top three categories for purchases for German online shoppers were shown to be clothes, books and footwear.
A spokesperson for Royal Mail said “The research reveals the changing landscape and for businesses wanting to grow internationally, it's important to understand the distinct shopping habits of consumers in different countries.
“German online shoppers like to shop on their laptop or desktop, although there has been some shift to mobile since 2015 but not to the same extent as we've seen in other countries. Retailers that tune into the different ways in which consumers shop across the globe, are likely to be more successful on an international scale.”
