Forrester has recently looked at the major markets in Europe for online and the characteristics are predictably different.

Here are the summaries taken from their website:

First the UK

"With more than one in two UK consumers shopping online today — that is about 28 million consumers — online shopping and travel booking are mainstream.

UK online shoppers outspend their European and even their American counterparts. Despite the current recession, we expect online retail and travel sales in the UK to continue growing strongly over the next six years as consumers move their spending online. By 2014, 37 million UK online buyers will spend £56 billion online."

Now Germany - Europe's biggest market

"German online shopping adoption is growing at double-digit rates each year. The number of online shoppers has almost doubled since 2000, with 36 million Germans regularly buying products online today, or 44% of adults. By 2014, we expect 44 million German online buyers to spend about €44 billion via the Internet."

France is growing very rapidly

French online shoppers — or cyberconsommateurs — are now surging to the Internet. Their number has roughly quintupled since 2002, with 35% of French adults projected to buy products online in 2009. Clothing is the most popular retail category that French people buy online, followed by books, music, and leisure travel like flights and hotels.

Despite the current recession, we expect online retail and travel sales in France to grow strongly over the next six years as consumers move their spending online. By 2014, 30 million French online shoppers will spend roughly €28 billion via the Internet.

So percentage wise the Brits will continue to outspend their counterparts online. Despite the UK GDP dropping now to 3rd in Europe (behind Italy!) it still maintains its differences. The French have now decided that its time for their hockey stick event and are rushing headlong to the Web.

The Germans restrained as ever are still warming to the web. The adoption rate curves for Europe in general have been slower and flatter than the USA. Which now accounts for such a large lag between the European adoption and that of Uncle Sam's countrymen.

Cheers
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