How many people shop online in the UK? Which platforms dominate, and how is the market changing? We analyzed the latest Ofcom data to answer the questions about online retail in Britain.
Reach & Usage
How Many People Shop Online in the UK? (2025)
98% of UK online adults visited an online retail service in May 2025. This reach has remained consistent at 98% for the past two years.
UK adults spend an average of 18 minutes per day on online retail services. That is up slightly from 17 minutes in 2023 and 2024.
Online shopping is now near-universal in the UK. The consistency of this figure suggests the market has reached saturation for general online retail adoption.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ipsos iris
How Many People Use Online Marketplaces in the UK? (2024)
75% of the UK online population aged 16 and over used an online marketplace in Q2 2024.
66% of marketplace users browsed as their most popular activity. 33% communicated with a buyer or seller.
Online marketplaces have become a core retail channel, not just a niche alternative to traditional e-commerce.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Amazon
How Many People Use Amazon in the UK? (2025)
Amazon is the most visited retail service in the UK, reaching 88% of online adults (43.2 million people) in May 2025.
Amazon reach has been stable at 87-88% since 2023. Amazon ranks in the top 5 most visited organisations across all UK nations.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ipsos iris
How Many People Use Amazon Daily in the UK? (2024)
35% of UK online adults (16.4 million) visited Amazon per day in May 2024.
Amazon Prime Day in July 2024 saw reach spike to 48% (22.8 million) on July 16th and 45% (21.5 million) on July 17th. Average daily reach that month excluding Prime Days was 37% (17.5 million).
I see Prime Day as a significant driver of traffic spikes, but Amazon's baseline daily engagement is already substantial at over a third of online adults.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
How Much Revenue Does Amazon Generate in the UK? (2023)
Amazon UK sales revenues amounted to £26.37 billion in 2023. That was up 5.65% year-on-year from £24.96 billion in 2022.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
eBay & Marketplaces
How Many People Use eBay in the UK? (2025)
eBay reaches 63% of UK online adults, representing 30.7 million people in May 2025.
eBay has not seen significant audience growth over the past two years. It remains the most popular online marketplace, with 57% of UK adults aged 16 and over using it in Q2 2024.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
What Are the Top Online Marketplaces in the UK? (2024)
eBay is the most popular online marketplace in the UK, used by 57% of adults aged 16 and over in Q2 2024.
Facebook Marketplace was second with 40% usage. Vinted reached 24%.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Temu & Chinese Retailers
How Fast Is Temu Growing in the UK? (2023-2025)
Temu more than doubled its monthly UK audience, growing from 13.8 million in May 2023 to 28.4 million in May 2025.
Temu reached 42% of UK online adults in May 2024. The platform peaked at 45% (21.2 million) reach in July 2023, shortly after its April 2023 UK launch.
Temu's growth trajectory is the most aggressive in UK retail. Despite launching only in 2023, it has rapidly climbed to become a major player.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
How Is Shein Performing in the UK? (2023-2025)
Shein grew more than 45% (+4.4 million visitors) from May 2023 to May 2025.
Shein reached 22% of UK online adults (10.5 million) in May 2024. That was up 63% (+4.0 million) since May 2022.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
How Many People Use AliExpress in the UK? (2024)
AliExpress reached 18% of UK online adults (8.4 million) in May 2024. That was up 47% (+2.7 million) since May 2023.
Chinese e-commerce platforms are collectively reshaping UK online retail. Temu, Shein, and AliExpress all showed strong growth.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Resale Platforms
How Fast Is Vinted Growing in the UK? (2022-2025)
Vinted visitors increased by 4.9 million (53%) from May 2023 to May 2025.
Vinted now reaches 29% of UK online adults. The platform's audience doubled from 10% (4.8 million) in May 2022 to 20% (9.4 million) in May 2023, then continued growing.
Despite this growth, Vinted's audience is still less than half of eBay's monthly audience.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025, Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Who Uses Vinted in the UK? (2024)
Vinted's audience is 78% women and 22% men.
25% of Vinted's adult audience is aged 25-34, and 23% is aged 35-44. The platform appeals primarily to younger adult women.
Depop, a similar resale platform, has an even younger skew. 44% of Depop's adult audience is aged 18-24, with 66% women.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
- [Ofcom Online Nations Report 2025](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2025/online-nations-report-2025.pdf)
- [Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2024/online-nation-2024-report.pdf)
- Ipsos iris