Cross-border online sales in Europe reported a turnover of €146 billion last year, a record-high annual increase of 35% as a result of the coronavirus crisis, according to research ranking 500 European online shops.
The third edition of the annual research by the Cross-Border Commerce Europe found that Ikea maintained a leading position in turnover from online sales in Europe, the organisation reported on Wednesday.
The study, supported by FedEx Express and Worldline, found that retailers turned to online sales as non-essential stores closed across the continent as a result of lockdown imposed to fight the coronavirus and that this was the main reason behind the increase.
On average, retailers with both an online and in-store presence, which focus on the entire customer experience on every channel, saw an increase of 45% in online trade.
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Fashion, as the largest product category, reported a 15% loss in turnover (both online and offline) last year, as even the increase of online could not compensate for the long lockdown closure of the stores, whilst food retailers increased their total turnover (online and in-store) by 10% since 2019.
It also found that 67% of Europeans welcome the convenience of cross-border eCommerce, especially following both Brexit and the current health crisis.
The study also looks at aspects of e-commerce such as brand authority, organic search percentage, the number of languages that a site is available in, and the range of payment methods and currencies available.
H&M, Pandora, Lego, Nespresso, and Swarovski also made it into the top ten, whilst internet shopping platform Zalando and Zara didn’t make the cut.
Lauren Walker
The Brussels Times
