Strong Performance from E-Retailers in UK Over Xmas

The run up to Christmas 2002 saw the strongest performance by Internet retailers in the UK, according to the latest data from Nielsen//NetRatings.

12.8 million surfers, or 60% of the UK's Internet audience visited an e-commerce site during December 2002, more than in any other European country in the survey. This is an increase of 3.7 million people in the UK on the same month in December 2001, when 9.1 million surfers visited an online retail website.

The UK is Europe's biggest e-commerce market, and with 70% of British browsers stating that they then go on to make a purchase online (Nielsen//NetRatings GNETT Report Q3 2002), it has the highest conversion rate of surfers to actual purchasers. 'These figures represent visitors, not necessarily buyers,' commented Analyst Tom Ewing, 'But the UK's conversion rate of browsers to buyers is also the highest in Europe so it's a safe bet that actual online spend has risen over the year. The figures suggest that shopping online is now an everyday part of more than half of the British online population, particularly at Christmas. In fact, the UK has become Europe's capital of e-Commerce.'

The UK's top e-commerce sites in 2002 include the global brands Amazon and eBay that lead the category. For the second year running Argos was Britain's top high street retailer on the web in December with over 2.5 million unique visitors.

The top ten includes the highest number of UK high street brands since the agency started researching the behaviour of consumers online. Kelkoo.co.uk, the French price comparison site appeared in the Nielsen//NetRatings category in July 2002 for the first time, and had achieved nearly 2 million visitors by December. Dealtime.co.uk, a shopping assistant site, jumps into the top ten from its position a year ago of 33rd.

'This research shows that consumers want to order from brands that they trust - be that the well-known and established Internet pure-plays like Amazon and eBay, or from High Street names. The rise of price comparison sites like dealtime.co.uk and kelkoo.co.uk, as well as eBay.co.uk which has continually performed well, indicates that the UK's online consumers are using the Internet to find bargains as well as for convenience' concluded Tom Ewing.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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