Online orders by UK consumers from EU sellers have dropped 14 per cent year-on-year according to research from Sendcloud.

The research surveyed around 8000 global consumers, including 1000 UK consumers, and found just 31 per cent of Brits made international purchases in 2021.

Many UK consumers chose to shop further afield rather than order from closer neighbours according to Sendcloud’s research.

Just under a third of Brits – 30 per cent - ordered goods from the US, while 42 per cent ordered from China.

However, the research found just 10 per cent of UK consumers ordered goods from Germany, while 7 per cent ordered from Italy and 6 per cent ordered from Spain.

This compares with over half - 56 per cent - of European consumers who like to shop internationally, a fall of just 5 per cent from 2020 according to the study.

The UK remains a popular destination for EU consumers; 16 per cent have ordered from the UK in the past year according to Sendcloud.

In addition, UK consumers have become increasingly concerned about cross-border shipping costs over the past 12 months according to the research.

Six in ten – 62 per cent – cited expensive delivery costs as one of the mains reasons to avoid international shopping while 49 per cent cited potential payment of customs charges and 47 per cited poor returns policies.

“Customers want a seamless transaction and delivery process, but the survey shows there are still plenty of barriers stopping UK consumers from shopping abroad,” said Sendcloud’s chief executive Rob van den Heuvel. “It’s important for both UK and EU retailers to streamline their international shipping or risk leaving money on the table.”

He added: “Delivery has become a vital aspect for retailers as consumers have come to expect everything from free returns to same-day delivery as standard.”

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