United Kingdom

eBay’s Third Annual UK Retail Report Reveals Biggest Shopping Trends In Britain

eBay News Team

eBay UK Uses Data Storytelling to Launch an Interactive Experience

As one of the world's largest and most vibrant marketplaces, eBay has stood beside our consumers for 23 years as online shopping quickly became a part of daily life.

eBay was among the first to recognize the retail power of the smartphone—the app has been downloaded 414 million times to date. Not only that, eBay has helped entrepreneurs set up shop from their laptops to reach customers across the world, day or night.

Out of eBay’s 175 million buyers, 24 million shop eBay in the UK alone. Through data and insight into shopping behavior, we’ve learned a great deal from its customer base, and are now sharing that insight with the world through our third-annual UK Retail Report.

A compendium of how the nation shops, sells and searches online, the UK Retail Report illustrates eBay’s position as the ultimate source when it comes to today’s retail trends in the UK. Leveraging eBay data from the past 12 months, we are able use data storytelling in our messages surrounding active buyer target groups, top inventory, selling around the world and, of course, eBay’s newest brand campaign.

“When it comes to shopping trends, if it’s happening in Britain, we’ll see it happening on eBay,” says Rob Hattrell, Vice President of eBay in the UK. “Our third annual UK Retail Report gives unparalleled insight into how the nation has shopped over the last year. Not only does it reflect the 23 million Brits searching and shopping on eBay every week, it also reflects the value that the 200,000 entrepreneurs operating on our UK marketplace bring to shoppers, both at home and abroad.”

Data from this year’s UK Retail Report reveals:

  1. UK shoppers are inspired by the Hollywood effect:  Big screen hits including Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther influenced the nation’s fashion, interior and lifestyle purchases.

  2. We want to emulate British royalty: Kate Middleton’s maternity wardrobe and her children’s outfits put her on the fashion throne.British small businesses are exporting more than ever, with thousands of items exported from the UK every hour by UK sellers.

  3. Millennials set the agenda on what’s hot: splurging on luxury furnishings for their rented homes, while looking to de-tech with traditional games and hobbies

Take a deeper dive into the full site experience here.