More overseas shoppers are buying online from UK businesses than any other nation in Europe, with British goods in high demand among foreign shoppers, new research conducted by Ipsos for PayPal has revealed.
The global study found that 1 in 7 (14%) of global online shoppers have bought goods from the UK in the past 12 months.[1] [0]
The next popular destination in Europe is Germany, with 1 in 10 (10%) global online shoppers buying from this country. Europe's top 5 online exporters are:
1. UK
2. Germany
3. France
4. Italy
5. Netherlands
Which nations are buying British?
The fourth-annual Global Cross-Border Commerce report, conducted by Ipsos on behalf of PayPal, interviewed 34,000 people across 31 countries and reveals the importance of American consumers to British businesses.
The US is the largest export market for UK online businesses. Shoppers from the US bought an estimated £12.5 billion worth of goods from the UK in the past 12 months - more than any previous year.
China has been identified as another key market for UK online businesses, buying an estimated £5.7 billion worth of products in the past 12 months.
The new research also reveals the importance of European markets to British exports, with cross-border shoppers in France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden all choosing the UK as one of the ‘top 3' countries to buy from.
Why are shoppers browsing abroad?
The main reason why shoppers buy from foreign countries is to seek a bargain, with 7 in 10 (72%) respondents who shop cross-border indicating that they buy from other countries because of cheaper prices.
The fall in the pound following the EU referendum, PayPal's data suggests that this has made UK goods even more attractive.
Other reasons why consumers shop online internationally rather than in their own country include:
- Because certain products are not available in their own country (49%)
- To discover new and interesting products (34%)
- Because product quality is higher from overseas (29%)
- Because shipping costs are affordable (24%)
What are global shoppers buying?
Globally, Return Shipping on Us [1] gives customers who pay with PayPal the option to receive a refund for the cost of return shipping to the UK on eligible purchases, with the value and frequency of claims varying per market. Limitations apply.
PayPal's Global Sellers [2] programme also allows UK businesses to translate, localise and launch their online web store in over 60 countries, making their products more attractive to international audiences.
If you are looking for specific insights by country, all of the data has been uploaded to the PayPal PassPort site [3].
[1] [3] Source of all statistics included in this document unless otherwise indicated: PayPal Cross-Border Consumer Research 2018 conducted by Ipsos.