E-Commerce: Crisis looms in the USA, while there is an upward trend in Europe

Based on a recent yStats.com study e-commerce revenues in the USA have dropped by 1.5 percent in 2009. In contrast, in many European countries the outlook for the industry remains optimistic due to double digit growth rates.

The economic crisis has affected the US e-commerce market: While the business has continued to grow in recent years, revenues are expected to drop this year by 1.5 per cent. At the same time, in Europe a different trend is emerging: market researchers are forecasting a 13 per cent growth for e-commerce in Germany. The situation is even more promising in Great Britain and France, where revenue from e-commerce is expected to increase by 17 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively.

Objective and cutting-edge market data
These and other findings are presented in the "Global B2C E-Commerce Report - September 2009" by market research firm yStats.com, which compiled the most important global data and facts on international e-commerce in a compact report. The study comprises only up-to-date market data from the previous six months. As the data are obtained from various sources, the report objectively presents current and future trends in e-commerce.

Moderate growth in the number of European internet users
Aside from revenue figures and forecasts, the "Global B2C E-Commerce Report - September 2009" also includes information on internet users and online shoppers in the most important international markets. Based on recent estimates the number of internet users in Europe will not grow as much as in previous years. For 2009, an increase of 5.9 per cent is expected, while for 2013 this figure is said to rise only by 3 per cent.

Sharp rise in the number of online shoppers in Poland
Comparisons of the numbers of online shoppers between the individual countries reveal large differences. The latest statistics, for instance, show that in the first quarter of 2009 approximately 22 million French shopped online, which is only three per cent more than in the same period in the previous year. However, the upward trend still continues in Eastern Europe. In Poland the number of online shoppers increased by 12 per cent in 2008. In Hungary and Slovenia a growth of six per cent was recorded. The largest share of online shoppers compared to the total number of internet users was found in Poland as well, at 29 per cent, followed by Austria at 27 per cent and Slovenia at 18 per cent.
Mobile shopping gains in popularity in Japan
The most recent yStats.com report also includes a number of interesting findings on Asian markets. Mobile shopping using a mobile phone, for example, continues to gain in popularity in Japan. Market researchers expect that mobile shopping will account for 20 per cent of all e-commerce sales in Japan in 2009. For 2013, the percentage of mobile shopping is forecasted to reach 25 per cent.