How Many People Shop Online?

We know that more people are using the internet than ever before, but just how many of those people are actually shopping online? Its one thing to log on but finding a site you want to buy from and completing the shopping process is something far more important, and every single e-commerce site on the web is looking for your custom.

As of Dec 2009, it was reported that there had been a 25% increase month on month for people shopping online, which was up 11% on the same period in 2008 (source: Techradar). This is despite the recession, which seems to make it even more impressive. The power of online is increasing, and anyone who isn’t a part of it should think again.

I thought it would be useful to include some general facts and figures about how many people shop online, just so we can see how things are changing as time moves on and the World Wide Web continues to grow.

Shoppers spent £38bn online in 2009 (it was £30bn in 2006). Compare this with the predicted growth rate in 2007 and you’ll see that online spend has increased considerably. The 2007 forecast was that by 2011, e-commerce would be worth £28bn. (source: Verdict)

With so many people spending so much money online, all sole offline traders need to rethink their strategy. Even a tiny slice of this ecommerce pie is worth having, and its anyone’s for the taking. At peak times like Christmas, shoppers spend even more money online as they hunt for gifts.  On Christmas Day in 2009, IMRG predicted that 4.3million people would be shopping online, snapping up the sale bargains. That’s almost as many as the 4.5 million that go to church each Christmas day!

With more people shopping online, 2010 is already proving to be a successful year.