Spoox Web Agency
The prospects for the e-commerce sector look very healthy over the next few years. nVision predicts a 70% growth in the proportion of people shopping online. By 2013, almost half of the europeans are expected to have purchased something online, up from 21% in 2006. Numbers are expected to grow most repeadly on southern europe. Low penetration of broadband and underdevelopped attitude in regard to shopping online will result in lower number than northen countries. In North-Western Europe, it is France that is predicted by many to provide much of the medium-term growth in internet shopping, as the recent upsurge in broadband connections has not (yet) been mirrored by higher levels of online shopping (and these two factors are usually directly correlated).
One of the key factors cited for the relatively slow development of e-commerce in France is the existence of the Minitel system, a internet-like network with basic e-commerce facilities. The network has been running since 1983 and an estimated 32% of the population still use the technology. The Nordic region is, as now, expected to be at the forefront of the e-commerce sector in 2013, with more than three-quarters of adults expected to shop online in Denmark and 60% of Swedish consumers doing likewise. Staying in the Northern half of the continent, it is in the Netherlands where growth is set to be the most rapid, predicted to nearly double over the next six years. The development of the market can be attributed to several factors, including an excellent telecoms infrastructure, a geographically compact and urbanised society and a technology-savvy population.
% of adults in selected EU countries making purchases on the internet in the last 3 months, by country
Source: Eurostat/nVision Base: 2,000 per country aged 15+