Holiday & Christmas shopping trends in France, Germany & UK
18 Jan '07
3 min read
comScore Networks released its final report on European online holiday shopping activity in the U.K., France and Germany. According to the analysis, of the three countries studied, Germans spent the most online during the holiday period — an estimated 5.4 billion EUR from 30 October - 31 December, 2006.
U.K. consumers spent an estimated 4.0 billion EUR online during the same period, and the French spent an estimated 1.9 billion EUR. This compares to an estimated 18.8 billion EUR ($24.6 billion) spent in the U.S. during the holiday shopping period (1 November to 31 December). (Note: Online spending estimates are based on estimated purchases made at sites within comScore's retail category and exclude travel and auction sites.)
Germany's most active shopping week occurred two weeks before Christmas (11-17 December — Week 7 of the holiday shopping season), when visits to secure Web pages (where purchases can be completed) were up 78 percent versus the pre-holiday shopping period from 28 August – 29 October. The most active shopping week in both the U.K. and France was three weeks before Christmas (4-10 December — Week 6 of the holiday shopping season), with visits to secure Web pages up 69 percent in the U.K. and 90 percent in France versus the pre-holiday shopping period.
“European online retailers appear to have done well this holiday season. High broadband penetration, familiarity with browsing and buying online, and confidence in the channel have all combined to make this a record Christmas for most online retailers in Europe – and to highlight the increasing importance of the online channel for consumers and retailers,” said Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe. “Almost across the board, activity on the secure buying pages of online retail sites during the holidays rose 50 percent above the average level of activity prior to the holidays, indicating that European online retailers had a very merry Christmas.”
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