Approximately 56% of internet users in Europe will be shopping online by 2007, according to a new report from Jupiter Research.
By the end of 2001, 36 million European consumers had shopped online, equivalent to 30% of the continent’s internet population and 9% of the total population. By 2007, the total online population is expected to exceed 200 million, an increase of 68% on last year’s figure.
A recent poll by EOS Gallup Europe revealed that online shopping currently has limited appeal (see Online Shopping Remains A Minority Activity, Says EU Report) and there are great disparities in levels of spending within the EU. In the UK, 37% of web users are classified as frequent or occasional online purchasers whereas in Spain and Italy under 10% fall into this category.
However, Jupiter predicts that online consumer spending in Europe will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 32% and reach E80 billion by 2007. This can be attributed not only to the rise in the number of internet users but also to the fact that experienced surfers will make up 86% of the European online population.
