20% of German online shoppers surveyed by Royal Mail have bought from UK sites in the last three months. The average cart size was £48.
The reasoning behind the UK online purchases was that they are exclusive and cannot be bought in their home country. Trust is a major issue too – some 81% of those surveyed feel that goods bought from the UK are not fake. 75% of those shoppers who buy from the UK buy from UK sites when they are not available locally and 65% like to buy British brands.
The Royal Mail survey looked at the broader German online shopping habits too. On average they spend €116 a month excluding groceries on general retail while €97 of this is spent online, or 84% of total spend, which is up from 79% in 2015. They are average age 48 and more likely to be female.
Online German shoppers are more likely to use a desktop or laptop for their purchases than the international average. They are now more likely to use a mobile device than in 2015. 32% use a smartphone or tablet as compared to the international average of 51 per cent and UK average of 53%.
The Royal Mail statement said, “When it comes to products, the top three categories are clothes (55 per cent), books (30 per cent) and footwear (28 per cent) for German online shoppers to buy. They are also significantly more likely to purchase second hand items, garden products, furniture and soft furnishings compared to the average international shopper.”
A spokesperson for Royal Mail said “We are seeing some very interesting trends in helping companies to deliver to over 230 countries and territories worldwide. The research reveals the changing landscape and for businesses wanting to grow internationally, it’s important to understand the distinct shopping habits of consumers in different countries. German online shoppers like to shop on their laptop or desktop, although there has been some shift to mobile since 2015 but not to the same extent as we’ve seen in other countries. Retailers that tune into the different ways in which consumers shop across the globe, are likely to be more successful on an international scale.”
