AliExpress, an international online retail marketplace under Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, today launches its latest Consumer Insight Report showcasing the UK’s online retail landscape, and revealing that Brits prioritise shopping for fashion over beauty. The report is part of a region-wide study involving over 12,000 shoppers that aims to uncover key trends and insights into European online shopping behaviours and shopping patterns.
Over the last three months, online shopping remains popular
The results confirm that online shopping remains popular across the UK, with a whopping 93% of consumers surveyed stating that they had conducted online shopping over the past 3 months.
Online shopping is holding up, with 63% of UK consumers spending an average of £100-£500 online during the period. The remaining 37% revealed they spent on average less than £100 over the three months.
In terms of purchase frequency, over 50% of shoppers in both the UK as well as wider Europe revealed they had spent on average between 1-4 hours shopping online each week, and 45% UK respondents purchasing on average three to six products.
Brits prioritise fashion in online shopping
Interestingly, fashion stands out as the category with the highest online spending among UK consumers, coming out on top for respondents aged 25-34 and 35-44, and second for respondents aged 18-24. This insight reinforces that Brits care about the latest fashion trends.
The research showed that the top five shopping categories, in terms of spending, over the past three months are:
- Clothing (incl. underwear, sleepwear and shoes) – 25–34-year-olds spend the most in this category (£81), followed closely by 18–24-year-olds (£79), and 35–44-year-olds (£77).
- Home appliances & consumer electronics – 18–24-year-olds spend the most in this category (on average £73), compared to £64 for 25–34-year-olds, and £57 for those aged 35-44.
- Phones & telecommunications – 18–24-year-olds spend the most in this category (£83). Followed by £67 for 25–34-year-olds, and £58 for 35-44.
- Beauty & health – 18–34-year-olds spend the most in this category (£70 on average), followed by £63 for 25–34-year-olds, and £42 for those aged 35-44.
- Sports & entertainment – Again 18–24-year-olds spend the most on sports, on average spending £73. 25–34-year-olds spend £54, and 35–44-year-olds spend just under the £40 mark.
Online marketplaces second only to retailer websites
The research showed that the top five online shopping channels, in terms of number of respondents making purchases, over the past three months across the UK were:
- Retailer websites (58%)
- Online marketplaces (41%)
- Retailer mobile apps (24%)
- Second hand platforms (13%)
- Social media shops (12%)
Following retailer websites, online marketplaces such as AliExpress are the next in line in terms of popularity, with 41% of respondents having used this online shopping channel in the past three months. 18–24-year-olds were revealed to shop most frequently across online marketplaces (32%) compared to other platforms; whilst 45–54-year-olds were revealed to shop the most across the category overall (44%), compared to other age groups. Online marketplaces are also popular in wider Europe, especially among those aged 35-44, with 52% of respondents in this age group having used this channel in the last three months.
Shopping via livestreaming was most popular amongst those aged 25-34 in the UK, and in particular, with those living in Cardiff (11%), Leeds (9%), Newcastle (7%) and London (6%).
Bonnie Zhao, AliExpress UK general manager, said: “It’s no surprise that “Genzennials” are the ones who are shopping most online and most likely to shop via livestreaming. Livestream shopping is not only an exciting way for shoppers to discover fashion and trends but also a way to connect with influencers or styles they aspire to be like.
“What is really interesting for us is as we look ahead to a summer of sports, we see more and more consumers buying sport and wellness-focused products. As the first exclusive e-commerce partner of UEFA EURO 2024TM, we look forward to bringing consumers closer to the action.”
