eMarketer: UK mobile e-commerce to grow 15.3% in 2019

Strong growth in online sales during the 2019 holiday shopping season pushed the UK retail industry to a milestone. E-commerce accounted for 28.2% of all holiday retail sales, exceeding 25% for the first time. Total retail sales for the entire holiday season reached £99.26 billion ($132.33 billion).

“Store closures are a major source of frustration for shoppers, and online shopping is the top choice,” said Monica Peart, vice president of forecasting at eMarketer.

The success of e-commerce has come at the expense of brick-and-mortar retail, which saw sales fall 3.8% to £71.27 billion ($95.02 billion) during the 2019 holiday shopping season. This was the largest drop in UK retail spending since 2010.

Looking ahead to 2020, total UK retail sales, including car sales, are expected to rise by 1.2% to £487.30 billion ($649.66 billion). This is the slowest growth rate since 2015, when it fell by 0.2%.

“For two and a half years, the shadow of Brexit has hung over the retail market, with mixed results,” Peart said. “At times, consumers responded to the looming Brexit by spending more. What became clear in 2020 is that the effects of Brexit are here to stay.”

E-commerce is becoming an increasingly important part of UK retail sales, growing 8.9% this year to £114.26 billion ($152.33 billion). The UK will experience another e-commerce milestone this year, as mobile commerce will account for half of online sales for the first time. In 2020, mobile commerce will grow 15.3% to £58.05 billion ($77.38 billion). Not surprisingly, smartphones will continue to be the dominant device for mobile commerce, accounting for 62.5% of mobile commerce sales this year, compared to 36.7% for tablets.

199IT.com Originally compiled from: eMarketer. Please do not reprint without authorization