File Under Making Lemonade: Market To The UK, Where Your T-Shirt Is Practically Free

Posted on | August 19, 2008 |

A recent report from uSwitch.com, a price-comparison service, has predicted that online shopping will account for 19 percent of all retail sales in the UK this year. The report also said that by 2020, 44 percent of sales will be made online, and that number will increase to over 50 percent by 2026 – which isn’t all that far away. We can only assume that there will also be growth in the years in between now and 2026.

The report said that the fastest-growing online retail sectors are clothes, shoes and accessories.

So shoppers in the UK, like everyone else, are buying stuff online. We’ve all heard the stories of Europeans snatching up Manhattan condos and seen them stocking up on designer clothes in boutiques we usually just browse. Now that we know pound-wielding (even stronger than the Euro, of course) shoppers are buying online, take advantage of the weak dollar to market your product to them. Convincing Europeans to pay a heftier shipping charge should be a lot easier than convincing them to clear their calendars, hop on a plane and come to New York to tour your newest properties.

It might be worth checking into whether you have a foothold in the UK to determine whether an overseas marketing campaign would be a good idea. At SheFinds.com, 5.3 percent of our users come from the United Kingdom. Not an insignificant number, especially if those shoppers spend a lot more than their U.S.-based counterparts.

The main challenge here will be creating content for both groups simultaneously. Even though the shoppers in the uSwitch report have “less spending money than ever,” it may not seem worth it to ship a scarf that costs eight pounds across the Atlantic. To attract foreign shoppers, focus on what’s unique about your wares or the products you feature – like these three small designers from Oregon who create eco-conscious clothes. At 45 pounds, your savvy British shopper might want to buy one of those soy halter dresses for herself, plus one for her niece and one for her boyfriend’s sister. Because at 45 pounds, why not?

 

Online shopping expert, Michelle Madhok, is the CEO of White Cat Media Inc. publisher of blogs SheFinds.com and MomFinds.com, sites that help busy women shop online.

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