One in four European internet users shops online every week according to new Mastercard research
The research shows that across Europe there is a significant increase in online shopping when comparing daily to weekly frequency. Clothing and footwear is by far the most popular category overall (48%) followed by tickets (34%), electronics (33%) and books (31%). Attitudes vary on preferred methods of buying online: in the Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands and Poland online banking is twice as popular as cards, while in the UK, France, Spain, Ireland and Italy, cards remain the most popular payment method. Despite different trends from country to country, people across Europe tend to share similar concerns about online shopping - fear of fraud is the number one reason for not buying online in all countries surveyed. However, the main reason for not shopping online across borders is not trust or security concerns, but rather the availability of good domestic options. The overall picture points to strong potential for cross-border e-commerce growth, with on average more than 40% of Europeans online shoppers already engaging in cross-border e-commerce at least once a year.