According to eMarketer.com: "Evidence of an economic slowdown is mounting in the UK. But so far e-commerce seems relatively immune to the downturn." They go on to say:"This year UK business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales (including digital downloads and tickets for travel and events) will total £59.8 billion ($116.6 billion), up more than 28% since 2007."
"Due to competitive prices, easy product comparisons, fuel savings and other convenience factors that encourage consumers to shop online," says Karin von Abrams, senior analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report, UK B2C E-Commerce: Continued Growth in Tricky Times, "we expect that online sales will continue to rise steadily during the next four years."
eMarketer predicts that online sales will hit £94.2 billion ($169.6 billion) by 2012, although the annual growth rate will drop below 10%."In fact, the number of new buyers each year will hover at about 1.3 million through 2010 and decline gradually from 2011," says Ms. von Abrams.
"But the most-important driver of sales growth will be increased spending by existing online buyers, as more goods and services become available and e-commerce becomes an essential activity for many."
B2C E-commerce market in China to grow at a CAGR of 56.4 percent over the period 2011–2015. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the growing number of internet users. The B2C E-commerce market in China has also been witnessing the emergence of social media in the market. However, increasing price wars among e-commerce companies could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.