European Ecommerce in 2014 - the data
At Forward Partners we're investing in early stage ecommerce startups. We believe that there are huge opportunities in the sector.
Underpinning the opportunity are a number of trends;
- Improved connectivity; high speed broadband and mobile networks to become ubiquitous
- Improved access; smartphones bringing a a computer to every pocket
- Improved relevance; predictive artificial intelligence delivering personalised offerings
- Continued convenience; innovations in parcel delivery and collection
- Lower inventory risk; on demand production, drop shipping and 3D printing
Here's some data to give you a sense of the current ecommerce space....
- 816 million people in Europe.
- 264 million (32%) shop online (versus 16% globally)
- c. 645,000 online businesses
- 3,700,000,000+ parcels sent annually
- 16.3% European growth in ecommerce year on year
The top 3 European ecommerce countries
- UK €107bn // 29.4%
- Germany €64bn // 17.4%
- France €51bn // 14%
The top 3 represent 61% of spend.
Source: ecommerce Europe
Ecommerce is a term that will seem dated in a few years. The fact is that commerce is undergoing a revolution in the information age and we're right in the middle of that change. Pretty soon, it will be "commerce", we'll have dropped the E (no pun intended) and the landscape of business will have changed forever.
I'm excited to be a small part of it.