European e-commerce boosted by festive season online sales - and more to come
Europe's net retailers have predicted a rise in sales and visits in 2002 as new research shows that almost 33 million Europeans used the Internet to lighten the burden of Christmas shopping in December 2001. According to research firm Jupiter MMXI, the Germans and the British were the most enthusiastic users of online retail sites in the run-up to Christmas, with 10 and nine million unique visitors respectively. A comparison of figures from December 2000 and December 2001 also revealed a surge in the popularity of online retail, with most countries experiencing a growth in unique visitors of over 40 per cent. Furthermore, the number of net surfers using retail sites is growing faster than the increase in Europe's overall Internet population. 'Online retailers experienced a real growth in the usage of the sites in the run up to Christmas, which shows just how Europeans have come to accept the Internet as part of their lives,' commented Patricia Lueer, an analyst with Jupiter MMXI. The pre-Christmas boost marks the beginning of what European net retailers say will be a successful year, predicting an increase in visits and purchases over the coming year. Forrester Research predicts that although offline sales are expected to slump in the next 18 months in response to a general economic slowdown, the net will attract consumers looking for a bargain, particularly PC upgrades and consumer electronics. Forrester said that 'many of these net buyers will remain loyal online shoppers,' boosting Europe's e-economy on a long term basis.