Royal Mail data from 2017/18 suggests that the USA is the biggest market for e-commerce exports from the UK.

Second place is France and third place is Germany, while Australia is the fourth place and Ireland fifth. The United States has been the top exporting hotspot from the UK for the last four years. France and Germany also figured highly in this list as well over that time period. Being one of the UK’s biggest e-commerce parcel carriers, Royal Mail’s observations are to be taken seriously.

Regarding letters, Germany comes first on the Royal Mail list, followed by Ireland and France. As with parcels of the United States and Australia also feature in the top five. Ireland has retained its second-place position for the last four years.

Regarding imports the list has not changed at all over the last three years. The manufacturing economies of China and Germany are the top two, followed by United States, Netherlands and Switzerland. Most most inbound letters come from the United States over the last three years, with France and Germany following closely behind.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail Parcels said, “E-commerce is becoming increasingly globalised in today’s market. Exporting and importing is key for many businesses and it is crucial that they select a delivery partner that is committed to a secure and efficient service. Royal Mail’s scale and global reach make us the natural choice for such businesses.”