Europe - the largest B2C e-commerce market worldwide in 2012

According to the European B2C Ecommerce Report published by Ecommerce Europe, the European umbrella organisation for online retailers, the EU28 (including Croatia, joining the EU as of 1 July 2013) has reached EUR 276.5 billion, or 88.7 percent of total European e-sales.

The same source shows that the North America, including the US and Canada, is currently the second largest e-commerce region, with a EUR 294.2 billion turnover and a 33.1 percent share. Asia-Pacific has ranked third with EUR 227.8 billion in revenue and a 25.6 percent share.

Research unveils that the European e-commerce industry is clearly dominated by three leading countries such as the UK (EUR 96 billion), Germany (EUR 50 billion) and France (EUR 45 billion). The total of EUR 191 billion of these three countries together represents 61 percent of the total European B2C e-commerce sector and 69 percent of the EU28.

Results also indicate that total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Europe in 2012 is estimated to have accounted for EUR 16 trillion, of which the GDP of the EU28 was just over 80 percent. Ecommerce Europe estimates the share of the European internet economy at 3.5 percent, a percentage that is set to double by 2016 and to triple by 2020 given the fact that the internet economy grows much faster that the economy in general.

Findings point out that European e-commerce is growing steadily every year, outpacing growth in traditional retail and services. B2C e-commerce represents one of the major drivers of the European economy. However, there are large differences in development between the mature markets in the North and the North West and the emerging countries in South, Central and Eastern Europe, led by Russia, Turkey, Poland and Ukraine.

According to the survey, Western Europe (including the UK, France, the Benelux countries and Ireland) is the European region with the highest B2C e-commerce turnover. This is due to the impact of two of the largest e-commerce economies in Europe, namely the UK and France. Western Europe represents EUR 160.8 billion or 51.6 percent of the total European e-commerce market. The Central European region, which includes Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland, is the second largest e-commerce region in Europe, with EUR 76.3 billion or 24.5 percent of the European e-commerce industry. Germany sets the tone in this region as the second largest e-commerce nation of Europe.

The Southern European region has surpassed the Nordic countries in 2012 and is now the third region in Europe, with EUR 33.2 billion turnover and a 33.6 percent growth rate. Its share in the total European e-commerce market is 10.7 percent. Eastern Europe and Southern Europe including Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Turkey are the two regions with the most emerging e-commerce markets.