London, 7 May 2021: Klarna, the leading global banking, payments and shopping service, has released the first in an ongoing series of quarterly global shopping trend reports.
Klarna’s Shopping Pulse found that despite initial excitement following the end of lockdown, the majority of UK shoppers (62%)* expect to do most of their shopping online in a year’s time. The quarterly global report, looking at changes in consumer shopping habits and expectations for the future, also found that, if forced to choose between only shopping online or in-store, over half (57%)* of UK shoppers would choose to give up the physical experience in favour of online.
UK shoppers were, alongside the Dutch, the most affected by lockdown restrictions. 80% reduced their shopping in physical stores due to restrictions. UK shoppers head online most often compared to other countries, with nearly two in five (37%) currently shopping online at least once a week. The UK also has the lowest rate of people who expect to make the majority of their grocery purchases in physical stores a year from now.
Alex Marsh, Head of Klarna UK, commented:
“UK shoppers are clearly embracing the in-store shopping experience as lockdown measures lift, bringing a welcome boost to the high street. At the same time it is evident that new habits have formed and, while physical stores will always play a vital role for consumers, the large majority of UK shoppers believe they will turn online for most of their purchases in a year's time.”
Klarna’s Shopping Pulse UK report is available here.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
*excludes grocery
Methodology
The report uses data from purchases processed by Klarna during March 2021 and results from Klarna’s consumer research, conducted with Nepa across 9 markets (the US, the UK, Australia, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Finland). The research was conducted during March 2021, and includes a minimum of 1,000 respondents in each market (1,022 in the UK). In total, more than 9,000 consumers participated in Klarna’s study.
For more information, please contact:
press.uk@klarna.com
About Klarna.
We make shopping smooth. Klarna’s offering to consumers and retailers include payments, social shopping, and personal finances. Over 250,000 retail partners, including H&M, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, ASOS, Peloton, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and AliExpress have enabled Klarna’s innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is one of the most highly valued private fintechs globally with a valuation of $31 billion. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 4,000 employees and is active in 17 countries. For more information, visit klarna.com.