Forrester Data Web-Influenced Retail Sales Forecast, 2016 To 2021 (EU-7)

Our web-influenced forecast helps retailers understand how consumers research online but buy offline. By 2021, the web will influence 46% of offline sales. Web-influenced sales will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% from 2016 to 2021. Although 91% of retail sales in the EU-7 were offline in 2015, online presence is crucial to retailer success, with web-influenced sales more than three times larger than online sales. Web-influenced sales will increase by 50% over the next five years to reach €748 billion by 2021. Web-influenced sales will grow fastest in Italy and Spain, with CAGRs over the next five years of 12% and 10%, respectively. Categories with the highest levels of web-influenced sales growth include grocery, jewelry, beauty and cosmetics, and health products. This report breaks down web-influenced sales by retail category using the same 22 categories as the Western European online retail sales forecast.