Rise in number of Brits buying from international outlets reported

Monday, October 29, 2018 - 10:59 by Simon Crisp

Bargain-hunting consumers from the UK are increasingly turning to sites that offer safe shopping online which are based elsewhere in the world.

This is according to a new study from Whistl which found that a third of Brits are frequently choosing to buy from overseas outlets.

Millennial shoppers tend to be more in favour of this practice than most, with the majority making regular international purchases.

Interestingly enough it was found that European retailers were not as popular with British consumers than those further afield, with China and America both taking the lion’s share of custom from domestic consumers.

In terms of the other countries in Europe which do attract shoppers, Germany led the way, ahead of Italy and Spain.

Respondents to the report were also asked to cite the issues they encounter when buying online from international retailers, with the sluggish nature of cross boarded shipping cited as the main hang up by those questioned.

A fifth also pointed out that they were often unfamiliar with the retail brands based in other countries, meaning that it was harder to work out which sites were reputable and which were not quite so reliable.

A similar proportion said that they were troubled by the need to pay fees for importing certain goods from overseas, while a tenth said that they struggled with the concept of buying items listed in foreign currencies.

Report spokesperson, Melanie Darvall, said that the need for improvement was apparent, especially as there is clearly an eagerness amongst shoppers in the UK and elsewhere to buy in a friction-free fashion.

She explained that by streamlining the delivery process, many more people would shop online with international outlets, rather than being forced to opt for domestic services which might be more expensive.