| NOTAS: | Independent study commissioned by Amazon
"After two decades of double-digit growth, what is the impact of e-commerce on the retail industry and the wider environment? This question is particularly important after 2020, a year dominated by the COVID-19 crisis, in which e-commerce played a critical role while many stores were closed. In 2019, e-commerce reached 11 percent of total retail sales in the eight European countries we studied for this report (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Initial indications are that e-commerce grew by 31 percent from 2019 to 2020, following growth of 12 percent from 2018 to 2019. Data for 2020 and the following few years will be blurred by the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. This report aims to provide information and long-term perspectives for stakeholders as they make decisions that will shape the future of retail. Regulators need to decide what would be the best frameworks to govern retail in the future. Businesses are constantly assessing which channels and geographies to expand into, and physical stores are adding online services that let them function as omnichannel retailers. Consumers increasingly understand that their choices influence the future of their neighborhoods and of the wider environment. To help these actors, the report focuses on two main areas affected by the growth of e-commerce: the evolution of retail and environmental impacts. Our study focuses on eight countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It is based on an analysis of official statistics, independent retailers’ surveys conducted in 2020, and a proprietary CO2e impact model.[1] The study found that retail is being transformed at different speeds across the eight focus countries. The main changes are an evolution toward more organized retail, the growth of e-commerce, and a shift in household spending from goods to services." |
