You may already know that Amazon is one of the largest online marketplaces in the world, but just how big is it? Each year, Amazon’s retail sales and market shares continue skyrocketing as the company takes over more industries like audiobooks, video streaming, fresh food delivery, and more.
According to recent research, over 90% of British shoppers use Amazon to purchase their goods. If this fact surprises you, explore some 60+ additional shocking Amazon UK statistics below to learn just how large this online marketplace is.
What Percentage of the UK Population Uses Amazon?
Approximately 90% of the UK adult population uses Amazon. Of all Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, 40% use Amazon Prime for expedited, free shipping, and additional perks. Amazon constitutes 30 to 35% of the UK e-commerce net sales in the electronics and media category alone, with net sales of over $5,000 million.
Sources: Mintel, ecommerceDB
Total Number of Amazon UK Visitors in 2022
Amazon UK had over 374.2 million visitors in May 2022 alone, showing an increase of six million from the month prior. Given Amazon’s average monthly traffic of 409.2 million visits, you can estimate that the website received just under 5 billion visitors in the year 2022.
Website traffic typically peaks around the holidays, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and nearly all of December. In December 2021, Amazon UK had over 474 million visitors.
During these periods, desktop traffic accounted for the majority of Amazon UK visits:
- 752.8 million people visited Amazon UK between December 2021 and May 2022 using a desktop bookmark or URL search.
- 300.7 million found the Amazon UK site through organic search results during the above period.
- Only 107.4 million navigated to Amazon after viewing a paid search or display ad.
- 60.9 million people entered Amazon from their social media accounts.
- 26.1 million shopped on the Amazon UK site after receiving an email.
Sources: Statista, Statista [2], Similarweb
What Is Amazon UK’s Monthly Traffic?
Amazon UK has an average monthly website traffic of 409.2 million visits, showing an increase of approximately 5.44% in the last month. While this figure may seem huge, you should also consider how shoppers act after entering the website:
- Amazon UK’s average session duration is six minutes and 57 seconds.
- Just over 34% of visitors immediately bounce after visiting the Amazon UK website, which may indicate accidental clicks.
- On average, UK shoppers visit eight to nine Amazon pages before converting or abandoning.
Source: Similarweb
Main Reason for Visiting Amazon UK
60% of surveyed UK shoppers in 2022 claimed that their reason for shopping on Amazon UK is that it’s cheaper than other online retailers. In the year prior, just over half of the survey responses aligned with this answer, showing a general increase in this consideration.
Review the following Amazon UK statistics to discover other popular reasons shoppers choose Amazon:
- 60% of surveyed consumers stated that they purchased a product on Amazon UK because they couldn’t find it at any brick-and-mortar stores.
- 40% of UK Amazon shoppers claimed in the survey that they couldn’t find their desired product on other websites.
- Other reasons included Amazon’s excellent usability and Prime perks.
Sources: Statista, Statista [2]
Time Spent on the Amazon UK Website
In November 2021, Amazon UK had an average session length of 22 minutes and 24 seconds per user, placing it in third place, just marginally behind Reddit.com (23.57 minutes) and Facebook.com (22.55). As media usage in the UK rises, with average residents spending 110 minutes daily on social media, you can expect large jumps in Amazon’s average session lengths.
When measuring how Amazon ranks against leading UK websites in terms of session lengths, consider the website’s purpose. Many people can search, locate, and purchase exactly what they need on Amazon within only a few minutes, creating a successful conversion but low session length. Conversely, average Facebook and Reddit users typically prefer to scroll for long periods, browsing the media.
Sources: Statista, Statista [2]
What Are Amazon’s Net Sales in the UK?
The figures above can feel hard to digest without placing them into perspective:
- In the last 11 years, Amazon UK’s net sales have increased from $4 million to nearly $32 billion.
- The United Kingdom carries the second largest Amazon net sales of all European countries, just behind Germany, with approximately $37 billion in reported sales.
- In 2018, Amazon UK showed a 200% growth in turnover rates, generating 2 billion British pounds.
- Amazon provided more than £2.77 billion in tax contributions in 2021 to fund infrastructure and public services.
- Amazon UK has directly invested over £43 billion in UK operations since 2010.
Amazon Market Share in the UK
Amazon UK holds the top market position for electronics and media, accounting for approximately 30 to 35% of net sales in this category. Amazon saw over $5 billion in retail sales in 2021 for the electronics and media e-commerce market. Just behind Amazon are Apple and Currys.
Edge by Ascential data Amazon UK statistics and predictions show that Amazon may take over the UK market in strides in the near future:
- Amazon UK gross sales may reach £77.1 billion by 2025, allowing it to take over Tesco, the current market share leader.
- Amazon UK may take over 1/3 of chain store retail sales with a growth rate of 16.3% and a 15% market share by 2025.
- Amazon UK may become UK’s 15th largest edible grocer by 2025 after seeing a 17.6% increase in edible grocery sales in 2020.
Sources: ecommerceDB, Edge by Ascential
How Many Products Does Amazon Sell in the UK?
Amazon.co.uk currently sells over 250 million products from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), third-party sellers, proprietary brands like Amazon Echo, and more.
- Between 2016 and 2018, Amazon UK’s product selection saw an increase of over 100 million unique items.
- 70% more sellers began using Amazon UK to market their products in 2017 alone.
- Amazon sellers in the UK exported over £1.8 billion of products in 2016, showing a 29% increase.
- Amazon UK sold over 600 million products in May 2020.
Source: Amazon
Most Popular Purchases on Amazon UK
Bestsellers in Amazon Launchpad
Amazon’s launchpad brings many unique and innovative products to shoppers’ attention, like fun games, gift ideas, and more:
- Original Edition by Exploding Kittens – Card Games for Adults Teens & Kids
- Massage Gun, AERLANG Massage Gun Deep Tissue
- Sandy Leaf Farm Gin Making Kit – 10 Bottle Gin Maker’s Set w/ Pink & Citrus Flavour Spice Blends
- Throw Throw Burrito by Exploding Kittens – Card Games for Adults Teens & Kids
- Sandy Leaf Farm Gin Making Kit – 5 Bottle, Colour Changing Infusing Kits
- ORSEN Toddler Toys for 2 3 4 5 6 Year Old Boys Girls Gifts, LCD Writing Tablet 8.5inch
- Wireless Doorbell, Plug in Waterproof Battery-Operated Cordless Doorbell – SECRUI Store
- Sandy Leaf Farm Cheese Making Kit – Homemade, DIY Ricotta, Burrata, Goat, Mascarpone, and Mozzarella Cheese Making
- GILOBABY Interactive Smart Robot Toys, Intelligent Robot Toys for Kids
- JLab Go Air Pop True Wireless Earbuds
Bestsellers in Featured Categories
Amazon features categories that shoppers spend their most time in, like new releases, most-wished-for, and most-gifted items:
- Command 17026CLR Decorating Clips, Pack of 20 Mini Hooks and 24 Small Adhesive Strips
- ANSIO Dehumidifier Condensation Remover Moisture Absorber Dehumidifiers for Damp, Mould, Moisture
- It’s Bananas! The Monkey Game for Kids, Teens, and Tipsy Adults
- Plant Theatre Bonsai Tree Kit – 3 Tree Starter Set w/Bonsai Seeds, Peat Blocks, Pots and Markers
- Posca UNIBALL POSCA PC-5M MEDIUM BULLET TIP Wallet of 8 STANDARD COLOURS Starter Eight
- BRITA MAXTRA+ Water Filter Cartridges – Original Refill with Perfect-Fit Technology for all BRITA Water Filter Jugs
The Best-Selling Categories
What makes the above products so popular is that Amazon frequently lists them in featured categories that are easy to find for eager shoppers. According to Amazon UK statistics, shoppers most commonly want to purchase home entertainment, kitchen, electronic, office, fitness, and fashion products. The best-selling categories on Amazon UK include the following:
- Gift cards
- Electronics
- Cameras, home monitoring devices, and photography products
- Video games
- Books
- Clothing and accessories
- Beauty products
- Home and kitchen necessities
- Pet supplies
- Sports and outdoor equipment
Sources: Amazon, Amazon [2], Sellerapp
The Number of Amazon UK Sellers in 2022
In 2019, Amazon UK had approximately 281,257 sellers, making it second worldwide in active marketplace distribution, just behind the United States. Considering that predictions show more than 25% more UK shoppers will use Amazon throughout 2022, we can expect the seller figure to continue rising:
- Currently, the UK is tied with Germany for most Amazon distribution centres in Europe, with 22 in the country and 76 newly opened facilities across Europe.
- Independent third-party sales constitute 44% of Amazon’s total sales figures.
- Amazon has over 6.3 million sellers worldwide, with 1.5 million active accounts.
- 472,000 sellers joined Amazon (globally) in 2021 alone.
- Amazon receives approximately 1,824 new sellers worldwide each day.
- Europe is Amazon’s second largest marketplace, with over 1.4 million sellers.
Sources: Statista, Statista [2], Statista [3], Marketplace Pulse,
Top Sellers on Amazon UK
The top 25 sellers on Amazon Marketplace UK are as follows:
Rank | Seller | Country | 30 Day Reviews | Lifetime Reviews |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | musicMagpie | United Kingdom | 5,486 (36%) | 7,083,096 |
2 | World of Books Ltd | United Kingdom | 4,963 (19%) | 2,291,340 |
3 | momox co uk | Germany | 4,148 (22%) | 910,191 |
4 | WeBuyBooks | United Kingdom | 2,757 (23%) | 699,181 |
5 | OnlineMusicFilmsGames | United Kingdom | 2,719 (23%) | 629,303 |
6 | Get Trend. | United Kingdom | 2,002 (-46%) | 92,939 |
7 | awesome_books_001 | United Kingdom | 1,800 (1%) | 1,221,174 |
8 | Ascot City | Hong Kong | 1,531 (18%) | 75,729 |
9 | 24/7 DIRECT | United Kingdom | 1,363 (-33%) | 170,766 |
10 | WeBuyGames | United Kingdom | 1,291 (35%) | 56,901 |
11 | Care Supermarket | United Kingdom | 1,176 (8%) | 64,261 |
12 | Lepro UK | Hong Kong | 1,087 (-4%) | 64,030 |
13 | OnlineHomeShop | United Kingdom | 1,158 (5%) | 28,050 |
14 | Utopia Deals Europe | United States | 1,066 (31%) | 32,562 |
15 | AnkerDirect UK | United Kingdom | 1,040 (-10%) | 10,671 |
16 | SPARES-2-GO | United Kingdom | 1,066 (20%) | 369,180 |
17 | The Cotswold Library | United Kingdom | 1,063 (2%) | 124,983 |
18 | Maltbys Stores | United Kingdom | 995 (-12%) | 77,291 |
19 | RAREWAVES | United Kingdom | 1,012 (-2%) | 304,799 |
20 | Sock Snob Ltd | United Kingdom | 927 (-36%) | 62,252 |
21 | Infinite_Books | United Kingdom | 937 (25%) | 112,002 |
22 | MHSTAR | United Kingdom | 885 (-11%) | 75,504 |
23 | Go Green Batteries UK | United Kingdom | 872 (-12%) | 46,490 |
24 | JETech UK | China | 859 (29%) | 29,342 |
25 | Book Depository | United Kingdom | 854 (-9%) | 4,065,588 |
26 | DVD Overstocks | United Kingdom | 804 (-4%) | 163,116 |
27 | Songmics | Germany | 806 (26%) | 93,545 |
28 | ACCER TRADING LIMTED LTD | United Kingdom | 792 (-13%) | 3,611 |
29 | KW-Commerce | Germany | 799 (13%) | 68,716 |
30 | VitaPoint | United Kingdom | 843 (3%) | 44,580 |
Source: Marketplace Pulse
Amazon Prime Households in the UK
12.76 million UK households have Amazon Prime Video subscriptions, showing a slight decrease in the past few years as more streaming services increase competition. Amazon UK statistics in 2017 displayed that 43% of shoppers used Amazon Prime for its overall convenience.
The Number of Amazon Employees for Amazon UK
Of all these employees, many shared a similar reason for joining Amazon. 91% of the surveyed employees that joined last year (out of 25,000 new roles) did so for career potential. Of this group, 88% stated that the competitive pay also swayed their decision, and 79% highlighted the company’s excellent benefits.
Minimum Hourly Wage at Amazon UK
The Amazon UK pay rate for each age group is as follows:
Age | Amazon pay | UK minimum wage |
---|---|---|
16–17 | £7.25–24.15 | £4.81 |
18-20 | £10.00–13.41 | £6.83 |
21-22 | £9.70–14.26 | £9.18 |
23+ | £10.00–16.36 | £9.50 |
Amazon received severe criticism and backlash from GMB Union after offering an approximate 3% pay raise, which cannot combat the current inflation rate of 14.8%.
Sources: Breakroom, Business Live, Office for National Statistics
The Number of Amazon Distribution Centres in the UK
There are 22 Amazon fulfilment centre locations in the UK The global power continues creating more Amazon warehouses throughout the country, creating 25,000 jobs in the last year alone.
Customer Satisfaction With Amazon UK
Between 2010 and 2020, Amazon averaged an 87.4 out of 100 customer service rating on the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, making it the top-rated organisation in the UK in terms of satisfied customers.
Source: Amazon
Conclusion
With nine in 10 UK shoppers picking Amazon as their preferred online marketplace, it’s no surprise that the organisation dominates many other statistics, including net sales, product growth, monthly traffic, facility growth, and more. Of all the Amazon UK statistics, the most shocking may be how such a large corporation can maintain excellent satisfaction ratings across every customer experience, boasting an 87.4 of 100 satisfaction rating, making it the most-favoured organisation in all of the UK, despite its enormous scale.