British online retailers continue to enjoy 'strong' demand, says BRC
The UK online retail sector maintains a “strong brand appeal” abroad according to the British Retail Consortium.
The volume of overseas customers searching on Google for UK retailers grew 23% across all devices in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared with the previous period, with mobile devices searches increasing by 16%.
Apparel came up as the most searched for category by overseas consumers on mobile devices, growing by 64% followed by beauty which was up by 50% in Q4 2016.
The country that had the “strongest appetite” for British products was Croatia, reporting a 106% increase on mobile devices in the fourth quarter.
At home, seasonal occasions and events prompted the highest volumes of browsing activity according to chief Executive of the BRC Helen Dickinson. Top category searches have also trended towards consumer electronics across all categories. Black Friday and Christmas deals have spurred demand among UK consumers for the latest product releases and tech gadgets according to Retail Director of Google Martijn Bertisen.
“This quarter’s figures provide further evidence that the EU is an increasingly important market for UK retailers and that consumers from the continent are increasingly likely to be experiencing the British retail offer through their smartphones. The challenges and opportunity for UK retailers to capitalise on this rapid growth persist and British businesses remain focussed on tailoring their e-commerce offer to utilise the strength and popularity of UK retail beyond our own borders, which shows little sign of diminishing,” said Dickinson.
“Foreign exchange rates have continued to position UK brands favourably internationally, with particularly strong growth from our European neighbours.
“Slowing tablet sales has meant that increased demand is largely coming from smartphones, with triple digit growth observed in some regions. In this mobile-first world, having a great user experience is crucial for our retailers. A recent Google study found that only five of the top 20 UK retailers’ mobile sites load in less than 2 seconds,” said Bertisen.