UK ecommerce is entering a steady, mature phase—but there are still opportunities for growth.

Social commerce is booming in the UK, but the era of hyper-growth is coming to an end. Even so, social will continue gaining share of the digital wallet through 2029.

Aldi plans to invest £1.6 billion ($2 billion) in the UK over the next two years as it looks to take advantage of shoppers’ “demand for discount” and cement its position as one of the country’s largest grocers. Aldi and other discount grocers are shaking up the supermarket landscape, both in the UK and US, through their rapid expansion and array of affordable—and more exciting—products. Their success gives competitors a blueprint to keep shoppers from trading down. That includes investing in a tiered selection of private-label products, lowering prices where possible, and satisfying consumers’ desire for at-home indulgences.

Aldi will open a store in New York City’s Times Square next year as part of its aggressive expansion strategy, per media reports. The 25,000-square-foot shop will be located in The Ellery, a new luxury apartment building near the edge of the highly-trafficked neighborhood—making clear the discount grocer’s intentions of wooing more affluent shoppers as it grows its presence in major US cities.

Walmart bought a mall, Coca-Cola launched a soda, and Nike partnered with SKIMS in February, marking some of the month’s most interesting retail moves. Here are the eight most interesting retailers and brands from last month, as ranked on our “Behind the Numbers” podcast.

This deck provides critical data to help retailers benchmark their own ecommerce sales against the wider market.

Our benchmarking report series provides critical data to help retailers calibrate their own retail and ecommerce sales against the wider market.

Lidl delivered its most successful UK Christmas season on record: The discount grocer’s revenues rose 7% in the four weeks leading up to Christmas.

For October’s Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers list, we’re looking at eight retailers hoping to escape the ghastly realm of spooky deserted shopping centers and zombie malls. Gap, Amazon Fresh, and Victoria’s Secret lead our trick-or-treat bag of comeback brands.

After years of turbulence, UK ecommerce sales are growing again, albeit slowly. And there won’t be a significant shift over the next five years.

Loyalty programs are back in the spotlight in Western Europe as consumers seek savings and brands look to boost revenues and gather first-party data.

Traffic is up at Aldi and Lidl: With the cost of rent, car insurance, and electricity continuing to rise, consumers are looking to save on groceries.

Digital grocery sales are growing again across Western Europe as inflation forces higher spending, click and collect gains momentum, and mobile loyalty schemes come to the fore. ​

The growth in retail media ad spending in these three countries will outpace all other formats for years to come. It’s thus gaining an important place at the ad budgeting table.

UK ecommerce sales have bounced back to steady growth as consumer spending remains resilient despite inflationary pressures. Most major categories will see a further shift online by 2027, bringing opportunities for ecommerce retailers.

US grocery ecommerce sales will grow 17.4% in 2024 to total $219.04 billion, according to our forecast. Meanwhile, UK grocery ecommerce sales will grow only 5.1% to total $37.06 billion in 2024. “At the end of the day, consumers in the US enjoy the conveniences of delivery, but they’re not necessarily willing to pay an exorbitant fee,” said our analyst Blake Droesch, emphasizing the perceived value of Walmart+ and Amazon Prime memberships to these shoppers.

Thanksgiving food costs are expected to soar 13.5% this year: Walmart, Aldi, and Lidl aim to use discounts on turkey, stuffing mix, and other holiday ingredients to attract new customers.

Amazon pauses its UK grocery store expansion: Disappointing sales and stiff economic headwinds at its 19 Amazon Fresh locations drove the retail giant to halt its plans to open hundreds more sites.

Total retail sales volume in Western Europe will surpass $4.7 trillion in 2022 and reach $5.096 trillion in 2025. While retail sales will rise 1.4% this year, ecommerce sales will jump an estimated 5.1%, as digital claims an ever-larger slice of total sales.

The number of click-and-collect buyers in Germany increased slightly during the pandemic, but not as much as in other Western European countries—and that lag will continue over the next few years. One bright spot, however, is that buyer penetration rates in Germany will steadily rise during that time.