32% of clicks on British ecommerce websites originate from users in countries outside UK

A report by idealo.co.uk, a price comparasion portal, shows that 32% of clicks on British ecommerce sites originate from users in countries outside the UK.

The same study points out the reasons for which certain countries fare better than others in cross-border ecommerce.

According to results, international delivery to customers is one of the reasons for which online shoppers prefer UK retailers. None of the shops in the study offered free delivery to anywhere other than the UK, this service was always at a premium, although in the wider context of ecommerce, the idea of international delivery is certainly not unprecedented.

In Germany for example, many shops automatically deliver to Austria, given the geographical and linguistic proximity. The same trend was detected for Spain, who most frequently delivered to Portugal and Andorra and for France, delivering commonly to Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, again making the most of the geographical location and linguistic similarities. In the case of Italy and Poland, it is unsurprising to see in the study that ecommerce sites in these countries are the least likely to offer international delivery, given that Italian and Polish are not spoken anywhere else, apart from a small proportion speaking Italian in Switzerland.

When it comes to language in country-specific websites, research finds that in the UK, just 10% of the respondents provided product information in other languages.

The Spanish ecommerce websites in the study were the most eager to target consumers in their native language, with 50% of those in the study offering either language or country-specific sites. Poland, being at an automatic disadvantage in terms of linguistic recognition and comprehension, has to strive harder to reach consumers in other countries, and is ready to do so, with 46% providing a translated version of their web shop.

The survey also reveals that British e-retailers are making an overwhelming effort to entice international customers. Just 6 of shops reviewed offer the option of viewing product prices and completing transactions in their own currency.

The report is based on a sample of 50 idealo partner shops and was conducted in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland.

Check out our Cross-border Ecommerce Research section here for more info on specific ecommerce facts & figures, preferred payment methods, risk and fraud, as well as ecommerce legislation & regulation in UK.