The online share of retail trade in selected European countries has increased from 2014 to 2022. In 2022, approximately 26.5 percent of retail sales in the United Kingdom (UK) were generated online. The UK led the country comparison in each year.
The European e-commerce giant
Globally, online commerce is on the rise. It was estimated that in 2024 online retail sales would sum to around 7.4 trillion U.S. dollars and additionally it is forecast to increase to 9.4 trillion U.S. dollars by 2026. When taking a closer look at Europe, the UK not only had the highest share of online retail sales, but also had the highest retail sales value in Europe, followed by Germany and France. In 2022, the UK reached approximately 106 billion British pounds in online retail sales, while Germany generated around 90 billion British pounds and France accumulated less than 60 billion British pounds.
Rise of online retail within the UK
Within the UK, the index that measures the value of monthly internet retail sales in Great Britain grew from 124.6 in November 2022 to 216.2 in November 2023. The rise of online retail in Great Britain can also be seen in the percentage change in monthly online retail sales, which increased to 6.6 percent in June 2023. When looking at all sectors of online retail, household goods stores incurred the largest increase in online sales, with almost a 12 percent YoY change, while department stores saw the lowest YoY change of just under one percent.