British consumers are set to spend more than £1,000 online on average this year for the first time, according to a new study.
The UK, France and Germany are expected to drive the majority of European growth.
The study, of 100 major retailers and 9,000 consumers, by RetailMeNot, owner of Vouchercodes.co.uk, found UK and US markets were “maturing” as online shopping becomes “a commonplace activity.”
“With such a competitive retail environment it‘s more important than ever that retailers look to mobile devices and the web to incentivise shoppers to make purchases online and in-store,” said Giulio Montemagno, SVP of International at RetailMeNot. “Successful retailers will consider the Internet not as a threat but as a powerful complement which can help them increase their sales.”
The study found that the UK is the largest market in Europe, with sales of £38.8bn in 2013 and is expected to account for more than a third (34 per cent) of all online retail sales in the eight European markets surveyed in 2014.
British shoppers are expected to make 18 purchases online this year, spending an average of £59 each time.
In the UK, the research found that the internet accounted for 12.1 per cent of all retail sales last year and this is expected to grow to 13.5 per cent in 2014.
