Europe is all set to compete with the US for e-commerce supremacy, according to a new report from AOL Europe and RoperASW.
Approximately one in five European internet shoppers claimed to have spent more than â‚Ź500 online in the past three months, up from 13% who said the same last year. In addition, 45% of European online consumers anticipate that their purchasing will increase in the next few years, compared with 41% of their US counterparts.
Philip Rowley, President and COO of AOL Europe commented: “The most striking thing about this study is that not only are online consumers spending more than â‚Ź400 in only a few months, but that almost 50% expect to increase their level of purchasing in the next few years. Shopping online is emerging as a truly mainstream activity in Europe.”
According to EITO, Western Europe’s ecommerce market was worth â‚Ź309 million in 2002 with the UK, France and Germany accounting for 60% of the total (see Western European Ecommerce Worth €309bn, Says EITO Report).