Europe Could Soon ‘Catch up with UK Online Spending’

by Stephen Logan on 8th February 2010

Retailers may soon see other parts of Europe catch up with the level of online spending that is being seen in the UK, according to one industry commentator.

David Smith, director of operations at Interactive Media in Retail Group, made his comments following the publication of a study by the Centre for Retail Research on behalf of Kelkoo, which found that the UK accounted for nearly one-third of all European sales in 2009.

He suggested that some countries such as Spain and Italy may not see much of an increase in internet shopping as a result of their culture.

However, Mr Smith predicted that certain areas of the continent are more open to the draw of online marketing techniques such as SEO marketing services.

"Certainly I think markets such as Germany and France will start to close the gap, and indeed the Scandinavian countries," he explained.

In his view, one of the reasons why web retail has taken off so successfully in the UK is the use of rich media on sites.