EU witnessing online-shopping boom: Eurostat

The EU is witnessing an online-shopping boom as more and more consumers choose to purchase goods or service online, according to an official report published on Friday.

Approximately half of the individuals aged 16 to 74, who making the majority of targeted consumers, have bought a wide range of goods and service from clothes and books to tourism-related purchases via the internet, said Eurostat, the bloc's statistic agency.

The agency said in a report that the proportion of so called e-buyers has continuously risen from 30 percent eight years ago to 53 percent in 2015, a welcome figure showing the EU slightly surpassed the 50-percent goal it previously set for the digital agenda.

Most e-buyers in the 28-country EU seemed satisfied with their online experience as 70 percent of them said they did not encounter any problem when ordering online. Clothes and sports goods were the most popular items, with travel and holiday accommodation following.

In half of the member states, the share of e-buyers was above 50 percent. The highest reading was registered in Britain where 81 percent of the total population aged 16 to 74 purchased online.

An upward trend was also observed in western and northern Europe, including Germany, Luxembourg and Denmark, whose e-buyer proportions were all over 70 percent.

In east and south of the continent, the online shopping was not so popular. The lowest share of e-buyers was registered in Romania with only 11 percent. There were also less than 30 percent e-buyers in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Italy.

However, in most member states, young generations made the most online purchases. In an overwhelming majority of member states, the highest share of online purchasers among internet users was found in the age group 25 to 34 years, Eurostat said. Endit