NEW YORK, NY (August 6, 2007)–In 2006, European business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales totaled €106 ($133) billion. Cruising at an annual growth rate of 25% over the next 5 years, the market will triple in size to reach nearly €323 ($407) billion. But the market is far from uniform, according to eMarketer's report, "European B2C E-Commerce: Spotlight on the UK, Germany and France."
The UK, Germany and France dominate European e-commerce, accounting for 72% of total online sales.
The UK is by far the largest of the three major markets with projected 2007 sales of £42 ($84) billion. It is in high gear and on track to grow 39% this year. Germany, on the other hand, has the most online buyers, with 29.2 million, yet produces half the online sales volume that the UK does. On average, German and French buyers are spending considerably less online per person than their UK counterparts.
European e-commerce is growing in waves. The first wave began with the UK, Germany and France. Over the next four years the engine for market growth will be a set of smaller markets, namely Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. A third wave will follow early in the next decade, as Eastern European countries like Russia, Poland, and the Czech Republic begin to seriously embrace e-commerce.
In the report:
- How do the major European e-commerce markets compare in size and outlook?
- What are the unique characteristics that define each market?
- Who are the most popular online retailers and what are the most popular items?
- What is the demographic profile of online buyers in each country?
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