In four years' time online sales in Europe will amount to 172 billion euros. This statistic means that Europe is still lagging considerably behind the United States of America, which will already be selling to the value of 198 billion euros in 2014 (250 billion dollars). Statistics provided by Forrester Research prove this.
Last year web-generated sales in Europe amounted to 97 billion euros. The research bureau predicts that the USA will manage an online turnover of 166 billion euros (210 billion dollars) in 2012.
According to Matthew Shay, CEO of the National Retail Federation (NRF), these statistics mean that retailers must keep on top of all technological developments. “In such times as these, it is important that retailers optimise their online presence on every single apparatus”, is what the top executive had to say during the Global E-commerce Summit in Barcelona. “Furthermore, they need to ensure that their in-store technology fulfils consumers' requirements. The world is changing. It is up to us to take the next step. If we don't, then someone else will beat us to it.”