European E-commerce

According to the latest research from Accenture, 60% of European senior business executives will increase their spending of e-commerce initiatives by an average of 15% in the next year. The Introduction of the Euro also has the potential to give B2C e-commerce a boost, as it eliminates currency conversion, a major inhibitor to cross-border commerce.

However, Netstatistica feels that without proper language localization and better (and cheaper) logistics support, the Euro alone can do little to boost cross-border traffic. For example, the Euro might make it more convenient to purchase from a German site than from a local one. But if the site only offers content in German, and you don’t happen to understand German, Euro or no Euro, you’re still out of luck.

The optimism of Accenture also contrasts sharply with the lastest research from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, which found that e-commerce in Europe isn’t attracting the mass of consumers that strategists predicted would embrace online purchasing in great numbers. Actually, consumers are really only browsing e-commerce sites, doing the online version of “window-shopping.” More details on the Cap Gemini Ernst & Young research can be found below.

Source:

http://www.netstatistica.com/reports/europe/e-commerce/june2002/