The challenge of protecting EU consumers in global online markets
On a global scale, e-commerce is growing at a phenomenal rate . Global e-commerce sales are expected to reach $4 trillion in 2020, up from $1.6 trillion in 2016 1 . However, this study shows that the majority of EU digital shoppers prefer to remain within their ‘comfort zone’, purchasing from online retailers based in their own country. Although there is an increasing tendency to buy cross-border from online retailers within the EU, only a small proportion buy from outside the EU. So, why are EU consumers reluctant to enter the global online ma