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Speed, convenience, and low prices are only some of the reasons people are increasingly turning to online shopping. In this overview of UK online shopping statistics, we’ll take an in-depth look at the current state of the country’s ecommerce market. We’ll also reveal the most popular online retailers across various retail segments. Finally, we’ll examine UK online consumers’ demographic characteristics, spending habits, and shopping preferences.
Top 10 UK Online Shopping Statistics and Facts for 2023
82% of Brits made at least one online purchase in 2021.
The total UK online shopping revenue in 2021 reached $160 billion.
In 2022, the UK was the world’s fifth-largest ecommerce market.
As of November 2022, ecommerce accounted for 30.2% of UK retail sales.
At 24.7%, the clothing sector has the highest share of online retail sales.
Vinted was the UK’s most downloaded shopping app in 2022.
With $17.1 billion in sales, Amazon was the UK’s top online store in 2021.
49% of UK online shoppers prefer buying items using their computers.
Millennials account for 44% of online retail shoppers in the UK.
UK shoppers end up returning 34% of clothing items they buy online.
General UK Ecommerce Statistics
82% of Brits made at least one online purchase in 2021.
The percentage above translates to more than 55.2 million people who bought products online in 2021, making the UK one of the world’s countries with the highest ecommerce penetration. More recent data from 2022’s third quarter reveals that 59.3% of Brits aged 16–64 shop on the internet every week, which is one percentage point above the worldwide average of 59.2%.
(International Trade Administration, DataReportal)
The total UK ecommerce revenue in 2021 reached $160 billion.
At £129 billion in local currency, the value marked a 14.5% increase from £112.7 billion ($139.6 billion) in 2020. Amid the global pandemic, 2020 saw a massive spike in online sales revenue across the globe — and the UK was no exception. That year, the country’s ecommerce sector saw a huge 49.4% increase in revenue from £75.4 billion ($93.4 billion) in pre-pandemic 2019.
(Statista)
In 2022, the UK was the world’s fifth-largest ecommerce market.
With online sales in the UK projected at $143 billion in 2022, the country ranked fifth behind China (#1; $1.53 trillion), the US (#2; $875 billion), Japan (#3; $241 billion), and Germany (#4; $148 billion). The lower half of the top 10 also includes South Korea (#6; $118 billion), India (#7; $97 billion), France (#8; 96 billion), and Indonesia and Canada (tied for #9; $59 billion each).
(Oberlo)
As of November 2022, ecommerce accounted for 30.2% of UK retail sales.
The increase in online shopping in the UK is evident if we look at ecommerce’s share of all retail sales in the country. In February 2020, just before the pandemic first hit, online sales accounted for 19.1% of all retail. The number then started increasing, leading to an all-time high of 37.8% in January 2021. While the 30.2% share in November 2022 is well below the most recent peak, online sales are currently on an upward trajectory and likely to increase in subsequent months.
(Office for National Statistics)
At 24.7%, the clothing sector has the highest share of online retail sales.
Online shopping statistics from November 2022 reveal that clothing and footwear is the sector with the highest share of online sales relative to total retail sales. Other sectors with a significant share of ecommerce sales include department stores (23.3%) and household goods (22%). At the same time, despite numerous online options, Brits still prefer buying food in stores. To that point, ecommerce accounted for just 8.9% of the food sector’s retail sales in November 2022.
(Office for National Statistics)
At 31%, fashion holds the largest share of online retail in the UK.
In 2021, fashion retailers accounted for nearly a third (31%) of the British ecommerce market. Other segments were more evenly distributed — toys, hobby, and DIY had 19%, electronics and media accounted for 18%, and food and personal care held 17% of Great Britain’s online sales market. Finally, the furniture and appliances segment accounted for the remaining 15%.
(Statista)
55% of Brits said they bought groceries online in 2021.
Despite 31% of UK shoppers saying they don’t buy groceries online because of high delivery costs, groceries were the most shopped-for product category in 2021, online shopping statistics for the UK reveal. Other popular categories included fresh food and beverages (53%), fashion (51%), health care (42%), and shoes (41%). Books (40%), leisure (36%), small home furniture and decorations (28%), and home media and video games (27%) also ranked high on the list.
(Statista)
Brits most frequently bought fresh food and beverages online in 2021.
According to a February 2022 survey of online shopping trends in the UK, 38% of British online shoppers bought fresh food and beverages online at least once a week, while 33% did the same with groceries. Products in other categories weren’t purchased as often. With 6% weekly online buyers each, car tools and accessories, sports equipment, and books rounded out the top five.
(Statista)
The Biggest UK Online Retailers
Vinted was the UK’s most downloaded shopping app in 2022.
The second-hand clothing store’s official app amassed 7.67 million downloads in 2022, putting it well ahead of second-placed Amazon Shopping (5.64 million downloads). Other top shopping apps include SHEIN (4.66 million), Tesco Clubcard (3.93 million), the anti-food waste app Too Good to Go (3.61 million), Etsy (2.75 million), Lidl Plus (2.44 million), and eBay (2.41 million).
(Statista)
With $17.1 billion in sales, Amazon was the UK’s top online store in 2021.
Amazon saw a 12.7% year-over-year growth in net sales, with the Electronics & Media category accounting for 54.6% of its sales in 2021. Other top UK online stores include Tesco ($7.6 billion in net sales), Sainsbury’s ($7.5 billion), Argos ($5.2 billion), John Lewis ($3.5 billion), Currys ($3.2 billion), Ocado and Next ($3.1 billion each), Asda ($3 billion), and Very ($2.5 billion).
(ecommerceDB)
In 2021, Tesco was the leading food and beverages online store in the UK.
With $5.8 billion in net sales in the food and beverages segment in 2021, Tesco led the charge, leaving its key competitors — Sainsbury’s ($3.8 billion), Ocado ($2.6 billion), and Asda ($2 billion) — far behind. Interestingly, despite having the top sales overall in the UK, Amazon only ranked 8th in the food and beverages segment with just $401 million in net sales in 2021.
(ecommerceDB)
Amazon was the UK’s leading consumer electronics online retailer in 2021.
The ecommerce giant accumulated $5.8 billion in net sales in this product category — far ahead of Apple ($2.1 billion), Currys ($1.9 billion), and Argos ($1.3 billion). Interestingly, UK shoppers spent $179 million buying consumer electronics products from Amazon’s US website in 2021, which helped it rank tenth among the biggest online retailers in the UK in this product segment.
(ecommerceDB)
Sainsbury’s was the UK’s top fashion online retailer in 2021.
Although fashion holds the largest share of the country’s ecommerce market, as the top retailer in this product segment, Sainsbury’s only generated $3 billion in net sales. Other leading online stores in this segment include Next ($2.4 billion), ASOS ($2 billion), and John Lewis ($1.8 billion). Once again, Amazon is in the bottom half of the top ten, with $683 million in net sales.
(ecommerceDB)
UK Online Shopping Demographics
49% of UK online shoppers prefer buying items using their computers.
Despite the growing popularity of mobile devices in online shopping, nearly half (49%) of British shoppers prefer buying items from their computers. According to a survey conducted in 2021’s fourth quarter, another 35% prefer using their smartphones when shopping online, while 16% use their tablets to do so. In this respect, the UK is on par with the rest of the world — 52% of global online shoppers use computers, 36% rely on phones, and just 12% prefer using tablets.
(Klarna Insights)
Millennials account for 44% of online retail shoppers in the UK.
Online shopping statistics by age show that 23.23 million Brits aged 25–34 (young millennials) and 22.45 million aged 35–44 (older millennials and young Gen-Xers) are ecommerce users. The fact that millennials make up the largest share (44%) of UK online shoppers isn’t a surprise, seeing as millennials worldwide do 54% of their shopping online. Interestingly, despite belonging to a tech-native generation, Gen-Zers aged 18–24 make up just 13.9% of UK online shoppers.
(Statista)
UK consumers use cards for 51% of all online transactions.
A recent survey of online shopping trends found that credit and debit cards were far and away the preferred payment method of British ecommerce users in 2021. Meanwhile, mobile payment statistics reveal that 32% of shoppers used digital wallets for online payments. Additionally, 7% used bank transfers, 1% paid in cash on delivery, and 9% relied on other payment methods.
(PPRO)
In Q2 of 2022, Brits spent an average of $104.96 per online order.
According to online shopping stats, the number above breaks down to $126.49 for orders made via desktop computers, $102.11 for orders via tablet, and $86.28 for mobile orders. Compared to 2021’s second quarter, Brits have slightly decreased their average per-order online spending from $105.62. Although desktop users have upped their spending by 6.5% year-over-year (from $118.78), mobile users’ per-order spending saw a sharp 9% decline from $94.86 in Q2 of 2021.
(Statista)
6.5% of UK shoppers believe eco-friendly delivery options are important.
Online shoppers statistics from a recent survey show that the availability of eco-friendly delivery options when buying items online is a major concern for 7% of men and 6% of women. Younger consumers aged 18–34 are the most environmentally conscious of all British shoppers, with 11% saying a lack of eco-friendly delivery options may prevent them from ordering products online. The same applies to 5% of shoppers aged 35–54 and 2% of those aged 55 and over.
(Statista)
UK shoppers end up returning 34% of clothing items they buy online.
Looking at online shopping statistics for the UK in 2022, clothes were the most frequently returned products bought online, with 34% of shoppers sending them back for various reasons. Other ecommerce product categories with high return rates in 2022 included shoes (16% of all ordered items), bags and accessories (10%), consumer electronics (8%), household appliances (7%), cosmetics (6%), food and beverages (6%), and books, music, movies, and games (4%).
(Statista)
55% of online buyers return clothes and shoes due to incorrect sizes.
Online clothes shopping statistics from a survey conducted in the UK and the US show that more than half (55%) of consumers who returned clothes and shoes did so because of incorrect sizes, bad fits, and wrong colors. While 48% of shoppers returned items due to damage, 46% did so due to poor quality and 36% because the items weren’t as presented in the photos on the site. Additionally, 33% of the surveyed buyers received incorrect items they had to send back.
(eMarketer)
UK Ecommerce Statistics: The Takeaway
The huge shift to digital purchasing amid the global pandemic propelled Great Britain’s rapid online shopping growth. In 2021, UK online retailers generated $160 billion in revenue — up by 14.5% over 2020 and a massive 71.1% increase from just $93.4 billion in pre-pandemic 2019.
At $143 billion, the projected revenue for 2022 is down year-over-year, but it’s still up over the pandemic-fueled 2020 numbers. Also, with 59.3% of UK adults shopping online at least once a week, the ecommerce industry has nowhere to go but up. The only source of concern is the share of products that end up returned — for fashion retailers, it’s already in the double digits.
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