How UK Consumers Shop Online: Marketplaces, Mobile Devices, and VR

Online shopping is an integral part of economic activity in the UK, and with a projected revenue of $141.1 billion by 2023, the country is the 4th largest market for eCommerce, as seen in our Markets section. To complete the picture, consumer attitudes toward online shopping are of vital interest in gauging the future of the online market.

This insight explores how consumers in the UK view online shopping trends, elaborating on their buying habits in online marketplaces, and their use of mobile devices for online shopping. This is followed by a generational perspective on online shopping attitudes to provide a more nuanced analysis.

UK Consumers Show Marketplace Loyalty

Statista’s 2023 Consumer Insights asked UK respondents about their online shopping attitudes, using a variety of statements. Below is a selection of the answers that consumers agreed with the most.

The most popular statement relates to shopping habits on online marketplaces such as Amazon, whose amazon.co.uk domain is the largest online store in the country. One third of UK consumers said they prefer to purchase products from different sellers on the same online marketplace, emphasizing consumer loyalty and convenience. The conclusion from this analysis is that a significant number of consumers tend to remain loyal to a particular online marketplace for their shopping needs if they have had a satisfactory experience with previous purchases.

Using a Mobile Device to Shop Online Is a Habit for More than a Quarter of Shoppers

When it comes to shopping via mobile devices, 26% of consumers said they use a smartphone or tablet to make major new purchases, while a smaller 21% of users do the same for habitual and recurring orders. Factors such as greater product selection and affordability may contribute to these numbers.

As seen below, a wider range of products, availability and lower prices are among the top reasons why UK consumers choose to buy products online, alongside convenience factors such as home delivery and avoiding crowds.

Augmented Reality Yet to Reach Consumer Forefront

The final statement refers to a recent trend that allows consumers to immerse themselves in virtual and augmented realities, offering users a digital experience much different from anything we have been used to so far.

With recent innovations such as Apple’s Vision Pro augmented reality glasses, consumers can take a glimpse into the future by spending a sizeable amount of their income, as these technological novelties come with a hefty price tag. Of course, commercial devices like these will also change the online shopping experience. 16% of respondents to the Statista survey said they are excited about the prospects of VR and AR for online shopping.

Marketplace Loyalty Is Relatively Consistent Across Cohorts

Marketplace loyalty indicates small variance across generations. While millennials are slightly more likely to agree (34%) than baby boomers (33%), Gen X (32%) and Gen Z (31%) are not far behind.

Conducting Major New Purchases via Mobile Phone Is More Common for Younger Users

Conducting major new purchases via mobile devices is a more likely habit among the younger generations Gen Z and Millennials, with 29% of both cohorts agreeing. Gen Xers are slightly less prone to agree, at 24%, followed by Baby Boomers, who do not seem to use mobile devices much for major new purchases (19%).

This suggests a higher level of trust in online shopping platforms among younger users, who are said to be more adept at sifting through vast amounts of online information about a product, which may give them more confidence in the quality of a product they plan to buy online.

Working Population Tends to Manage Recurrent Orders via Mobile

Conversely, millennials are most prone to manage their recurring orders online (26%), followed by Gen X (21%). The youngest cohort is not particularly inclined to agree, at 19%, and baby boomers indicate the lowest share (13%).

This may be another indicator of digital literacy, but likely other factors are additionally at play, such as work habits and convenience. Busy schedules are likely driving many working individuals to prefer online platforms for routine purchases, instead of spending much free time to buy habitual items. However, younger consumers under the age of 20 may not have the same concerns.

VR and AR Sounds Most Exciting to Millennials

Similarly, millennials are most likely to express enthusiasm for using VR and AR for online shopping (26%), while the remaining cohorts indicate much smaller rates. Gen Z respondents are second-most interested in this trend (18%), but Gen X and baby boomers are much less inclined to express their excitement at 9% and 6%, respectively.

UK Online Shopping: Key Takeaways

The evolution of online shopping in the UK is deeply intertwined with technological advances and dependent upon changing consumer preferences. Our analysis pointed out common patterns among consumer attitudes toward online shopping in the UK, which were completed by a demographic viewpoint. Read our key takeaways below for a succinct recap of this insight.

UK's Prominent eCommerce Landscape: The UK is a major hub for online shopping, ranking as the 4th largest market for eCommerce with a projected revenue of $166.7 billion by 2023. This growth is further evidenced by the predominance of platforms like Amazon's UK domain, which stands as the country's largest online store.

Consumer Behavior and Preferences: UK consumers display loyalty to specific online marketplaces, with one-third preferring to buy from various sellers on a single platform, indicating the importance of prior satisfactory experiences. Additionally, mobile shopping is gaining traction, with 26% using devices like smartphones for significant purchases. However, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in online shopping are still emerging trends, with only 16% expressing excitement about their prospects.

Generational Differences in Online Shopping: The data reveals nuanced differences across age groups. While marketplace loyalty is fairly consistent across generations, younger cohorts, particularly Gen Z and millennials, are more inclined to make major purchases via mobile, suggesting a deeper trust in online platforms. On the other hand, recurring orders via mobile are most popular among millennials and Gen X, possibly due to work habits and the convenience it offers. Meanwhile, enthusiasm for VR and AR is highest among meillennials, with other age groups showing varied levels of interest.