98% of UK online adults visit ecommerce sites

Online shopping has become a national pastime, with the latest Ofcom Online Nation Report revealing that almost all UK adults with an internet connection visit ecommerce sites.[1]

The survey was conducted in May 2025 and found that 98% of UK adult internet users had visited an “online retail service” in that month, consistent with the previous two years’ results.[2]

At an estimated 32.2 million people, that’s more of the population – and for a longer amount of time – than consumed online news content in the same month:

This is also reflected in the top reasons why people used a search engine in the three months before the survey.

Top 3 reasons why UK adults use search engines

1. To search information related to a potential purchase

2. To find out news about the UK

3. To look up information related to a hobby or interest

Top of the list was “information related to a potential purchase”, which 71% of people had searched for, compared with 70% who had searched for news about the UK.

Some way behind in third place was “information related to a hobby or interest” with just a 58% share.[3]

All of this serves to highlight the maturity of the UK ecommerce market. Nearly all economically active British adults are now potential customers – if you know how to reach their screens.

How do UK consumers find ecommerce sites?

AI plays a growing role in helping UK consumers find ecommerce sites that stock the products they need. Standalone assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini enable ‘natural language’ searches, while AI overviews in search engine results compile the most relevant information into a single handy reference.

In 2025, YouGov surveyed over 2,000 British adults[4] to determine how useful AI overviews actually are. The results showed that younger generations in particular consider AI summaries to be a helpful addition to search results:

Most internet users of all ages (53%) now encounter AI overviews frequently when conducting searches, and most (51%) want the number of AI summaries they see to stay the same or increase.

“The developers behind AI tools are open about the fact that their Large Language Models (LLMs) can make mistakes. Nevertheless, respondents were more likely to find these results credible than not.”

– Christien Pheby, YouGov, 2025[5]

In many cases, people are encountering AI overviews when using tools that previously did not include AI summaries – such as when running a Google Search query.

Ecommerce and shopping searches account for about one in 45 website referrals from Google AI overviews, and one in 22 referrals from ChatGPT.[6]

However, Google receives a much larger amount of traffic: 25 billion visits in the year to August 2025, compared with less than 2 billion queries on ChatGPT and OpenAI.[7]

Do UK shoppers consider ecommerce to be safe?

Ofcom’s report found the vast majority of UK online shoppers feel safe when using ecommerce sites.

Just 1% said that their most recent encounter with harmful content had occurred on an online retail site in June 2025, compared with 59% who had most recently witnessed harmful content on social media.

This is in line with the previous year. Just 1% said the same in June 2024 – and 0% cited ecommerce sites as their most recent harmful online experience in January 2025.[8]

Protecting younger Brits buying online

Ecommerce operators may want to take steps to protect younger consumers, as Ofcom found 58% of children aged 8-17 had spent money online in the previous month. This figure includes in-game purchases, spending on video sharing platforms and on social media sites.[9]

The reasons for these purchases varied significantly:

Nearly a third (32%) said they regretted in-game purchases, while more than two fifths (43%) said they regretted social media purchases.

Traditional ecommerce websites can help by providing accurate product information, so that consumers can make an informed buying decision, free from influencer-led peer pressure and hard-sell tactics.

UK ecommerce growth hits 5-year high

Near-100% penetration rates and improved access to ecommerce content in AI overviews is all contributing towards substantial growth in UK online retail spend.

The latest ONS data[10] shows that in January 2026, online sales values grew by 14.7% year-on-year, the largest rise since April 2021 when the economy was emerging from the pandemic.

Sales values were also up 1.3% on December 2025 – proof that the end of the Golden Quarter does not mean an inevitable slump in revenues.

A similar pattern was seen in the three-month total. For the quarter ending (and including) January 2026, total online retail value was up 1.8% over the preceding quarter, and by 10.8% year-on-year.

Ecommerce sales driven by Great British weather

The increase in online spending may have been driven by wet weather in January 2026. The ONS report states:

“The Met Office Weather and Climate summaries[11] explain that the UK had above-average rainfall in January 2026, but below-average rainfall in January 2025. According to our UK retail footfall dataset[12], [bricks-and-mortar] footfall was down in January 2026.”

– ONS, Retail Sales, Great Britain: January 2026[13]

Again, this highlights the complexities of UK retail, and how opportunities can emerge for online retailers from something as simple as an extended spell of rainy days.

How MRM can help support your ecommerce site

MRM can help you be ready to capitalise on sudden surges in online shopping. Our ecommerce warehouses in the East Midlands are centrally placed for fast, efficient deliveries across the UK.

We have expertise across the full range of ecommerce fulfilment services. We have off-the-shelf options for smaller operators, and can develop bespoke ecommerce platforms for larger retailers.

All of this is supported by Newton, our smart e-fulfilment data platform that covers warehouse management, order processing, customer services and data collection.

To find out more about any of our ecommerce logistics and promotion services, contact MRM today.