Read this article in:It’s official, Europeans love to shop. Ecommerce is booming across the continent, with the most recent data from Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce finding that European B2C e-commerce increased from €849bn in 2021 to €899bn in 2022.Inflation and economic uncertainty played a part in the slower growth of the block’s ecommerce rates in 2021 and 2022, but both groups report that in 2023, ecommerce began to recover as inflation declined, with a return to growth at 2% projected.While ecommerce growth is on the rise in Eastern Europe, it’s Western Europe that is by far, the largest region, with 67% of the total B2C turnover in Europe for 2022, trading €603 billion online.The rest of Europe shops online too, just less enthusiastically. Southern Europe’s share is 16%, while Central Europe takes 8%. Northern Europe (7%) and Eastern Europe (2%) are lagging behind.Christel Delberghe, the Director General of EuroCommerce, says that more growth is to come: “We expect online sales to keep growing in the coming years, reaching an estimated 30% of retail sales by 2030. Being present online has become vital for many retailers, especially for smaller businesses.”What is also driving increased adoption of online shopping is technological progress, say Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce. Their report says that adoption of 5G, AR/VR, digital wallets and new shop solutions are drivers of “deeper ecommerce penetration”.- A message from our partner -Rise of retail tech in EuropeIt’s not surprising then that there are a whole host of interesting start-up and early stage companies in the retail tech space, driving innovation, ease of use for online shoppers––and of course, jobs.CB Insights’ recent most promising startups in the world report breaks out the European retail tech companies that are the most exciting for 2024

Harry and Meghan in another petty tit-for-tat with Charles over party invites.