UK consumers see e-commerce as a threat to local businesses

21 January 2021, London – 69% of UK online shoppers fear the effects e-commerce has on local businesses, a new report has found. As a result, UK consumers are shunning international retailers in favour of more local, British stores. 45% of UK consumers said they would rather buy from a local webshop than from a large e-commerce giant, a report commissioned by e-commerce shipping platform, Sendcloud, shows.  High delivery costs (51%), having to potentially pay extra for customs charges (38%) and issues with returning products (38%) were some of the reasons for consumers choosing to shop closer to home. This trend is only predicted to increase in the future, with news of EU businesses refusing to ship to the UK because of Brexit tax changes and confusion over customs rules forcing some EU retailers to stop deliveries to Northern Ireland entirely. The report results from Sendcloud details the effects of both international shipping and the Global pandemic on the e-commerce industry, showing the significance of online shopping behaviour during the past year and how these actions will affect the future of e-commerce and local economies. In a separate report, Sendcloud suggests that for UK e-commerce retailers to continue smooth international trade to Europe, it’s important to have an EORI number to move goods between the UK and countries within the EU.  Sendcloud insists that it is essential to add a Commercial Invoice when shipping internationally from the UK, as well as a CN22 or CN23 depending on the chosen courier, and that preparing for local VAT and duty policies is also necessary. Speaking on the results, Rob van den Heuvel, CEO, Sendcloud, said: “Although companies from the UK and the EU may be able to claim preferential rates of duties, there will still be many changes to the way retailers sell and deliver products. New trading conditions have begun, including additional checks and the introduction of customs declarations, so businesses need to take note of the new playbook. Automation plays a key role in simplifying this process.  “Online retailers that ship to and from the UK need to take action now or risk these changes affecting the long-term health of their businesses. Now is the time to solidify plans for the coming months as the knock-on effects will likely rumble on for the next few years. Taking proactive steps to prepare for a post-Brexit e-commerce industry will help minimise disruption, manage the impact and even help gain a competitive advantage.”

About Sendcloud

Sendcloud is an all-in-one shipping platform for e-commerce businesses that want to scale. It is our mission to empower online retailers to compete by optimizing the full shipping journey from checkout to returns. Our solution turns e-commerce logistics from a bottleneck into an accelerator, making shipping a competitive advantage. Founded in the Netherlands in 2012, Sendcloud has quickly become one of the fastest growing scale-ups and leading shipping solutions in Europe, with more than 15,000 customers across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Austria. Customers range from small to enterprise-sized online retailers and in industries from fashion and electronics to food & drink.