U.K. shoppers order slightly more products on average and spend £125.40 (approx. €140.00 at current exchange rate) each month. This is 8.4% more than the European average monthly spend.
£125,40
£125,40
How often do British people order online?
On average, 2.3 orders per month
On average 1.9 orders per month
How many products do consumers order per month?
On average 5.6 products per month
On average 5.3 products per month
Our Delivery partners
Why do consumers leave a webshop? (Multiple answers possible)
Overall reason:
When we compare the European average with British consumers, British shoppers are slightly more likely to abandon the checkout if they are unable to choose the shipping method they desire.
British consumers also have a slight preference for being able to choose their preferred delivery company in the checkout too.
For almost half of British consumers,
the offered carrier has a very strong, or strong,
influence on the decision to purchase.
How strong is the preference for a specific carrier?
How likely is the carrier to influence consumers' purchasing decisions?
40% of British consumers voted Royal Mail as their #1 most proffered carrier out of all options.
Which carriers are preferred by the British online shopper? (Multiple answers possible)
Favourite carriers across Europe
Acceptable shipping costs
61% of British consumers leave a shopping cart when the displayed shipping costs are perceived as too high. But what do they consider as “too” high?
The maximum amount shopers want to pay for next-day delivery depends on the amount they spend on an order. Interesting to see is that British consumers are willing to pay less shipping costs for an order with a low value (£15.00) than for an order of £150.00.
The good news is that 72% of British online shoppers are likely to add another product to their shopping basket to reach a free shipping threshold.
The good news is that 72% of British online shoppers are likely to add another product to their shopping basket to reach a free shipping threshold.
How likely are you to add an additional product to get free shipping?
How likely are you to add an additional product to get free shipping?
On average, 70% of European shoppers tend to add an additional product to get free delivery. This means British consumers are just slightly more inclined to add an extra product to their order than European consumers.
Which part of delivery is the most important to the online shopper? (from most to least important)
1. Delivery costs
2. Speed of delivery
3. Flexibility with delivery options
4. Flexibility in delivery times
5. Flexibility in delivery address
6. Environmental impact of delivery
Very important
Important
Moderately important
Slightly important
Not important at all
Shipping costs and methods matter
61% of British consumers abandon a shopping cart if they perceive the displayed delivery cost as too high. Free delivery continues to drive conversions, with 72% willing to add more products to reach a minimum spend threshold to get free delivery. Interestingly though, British shoppers are more likely to pay for additional delivery services (same-day, next-day, nominate time and date) in comparison to the European average. However, only one third are willing to pay extra for green delivery.
Same-day Delivery
Same-day delivery is a delivery option that is increasingly offered. Over 60% of British consumers who use it expect to be able to place an order until just before 2pm and have it delivered the same-day. Same-day delivery is not available in many European countries and regions.
Carrier preferences can impact conversions
Nearly half of British shoppers have a strong or moderate preference for a specific delivery company. But what's more important is, of these shoppers that do have a preference, 84% state that the carriers on offer have an influence over whether or not they will order from a particular webshop. The most preferred carriers for U.K. shoppers were Royal Mail, DPD, and DHL.
Return policies can drive conversions
It is important to offer a clear and customer-friendly return policy. More than half of British consumers always look at the return policy - with another 31%sometimes checking it - before they order. They mainly want to know when they will receive the refund back, followed by details on how and where to return products, and how to track the return. British customers also expect the online store to pay for the return, and they want an easy return process. This not only increases conversions, but also repeat purchases.
A domestic market
Barely half of British consumers have ordered from an international online store in the past. High delivery costs, the possibility of custom charges and a difficult return process are the top reasons not to order cross-border. British consumers also show a preference for buying from national online stores over big online stores or marketplaces.