Our December figures show that 2002 has been another year of consolidation for online shopping, with its appeal continuing to grow in all European markets – though the level of penetration varies wildly from country to country.
Penetration of Online Shopping Sites, December 2002 (%) 
The key markets for online shopping are the largest markets – the UK, France and Germany. These are also countries where the big international players – Amazon and eBay, for instance – have concentrated their marketing efforts.
In all these countries the penetration of online shopping sites rose during 2001, with France and Germany showing the largest increase – 10.5 points in France’s case. In raw audience terms, however, it was Spain that experienced the most dramatic expansion of its e-shopping market.
Growth Of Online Shopping Audience, Dec 2001 – Dec 2002 
This holiday season saw month-on-month growth at all points between September and December, with November seeing particularly strong growth for most sites. Preliminary day-by-day analysis of various markets suggests that there is also a surge at the end of December as online retail sites announce sales and clear-outs.
Spain’s 105% growth rate suggests that it may well become a fruitful market for investment by expansion-minded international companies. The explosion in online shopping in Spain has been driven in part by a dramatic uptake in Internet use in general in this market.
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/
