Because of the ever-evolving nature of ecommerce, Linnworks is leveraging our internal database of ecommerce statistics to help retailers navigate the shifting landscape.

In this edition, we’ll take a look at holiday shopping, any shopping that occurred through Linnworks retailers from December 1 – December 25. Comparing this data to previous years, we’ll see where current ecommerce trends differ from previous years.

2022 holiday ecommerce highlights

• Total sales through Linnworks nearly reached half a billion pounds in GMV or nearly $640 million dollars.
• Holiday shopping peaked on December 12 in the UK and US.
• The most used couriers used were: Amazon, FedEx and Royal Mail.
• The top channels in total sales were: Amazon, Magento, Shopify and eBay.
• The biggest product categories this holiday season were: Home & Garden, Clothing & Accessories and Jewellery.

Ecommerce holiday sales stats and trends

The total sales for Linnworks customers from December 1 to December 25, 2022, were close to half a billion pounds in Gross Market Value (GMV). This essentially equaled what those same retailers sold between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

When it came to the flow of sales during December, retailer sales in the UK ebbed and flowed with near identical selling peaks on December 5th and 12th before declining to close out the month. GMV for Linnworks retailers in the US showed less variation day-to-day while still peaking on December 12. 

The most popular GMV days across both countries fell on Mondays. This could be a combination of weekend orders getting pushed to the start of the week and consumers using holiday shopping to help get them through a Monday. 

Shopping peaking for retailers on December 12 is yet another shift in consumer spending trending earlier and earlier. Last year GMV for UK and US peaked on December 14 instead.

Most popular couriers

The most popular couriers businesses used this holiday shopping season were:

• Amazon Shipping
• Royal Mail
• FedEx
• DPDgroup
• Hermes
  

Order volume for the most used couriers peaked at different times throughout December. For example, the total number of orders shipped by Royal Mail and Amazon peaked on December 5, while FedEx orders peaked on December 12.

Royal Mail order volume also dropped off more dramatically than Amazon and FedEx. Between December 12, 2022, and December 19, 2022, Royal Mail order volume decreased by 121% compared to 38% for FedEx orders and 10% for Amazon orders.

Top channels in total holiday sales

The top platforms in GMV volume this holiday season were:

• Amazon
• Amazon FBA
• Shopify
• eBay
• Magneto
  

Total sales peaked early on Shopify (December 1) and eBay (December 5) compared to the rest of the sales channels, which all peaked on December 12. Shopify peaking so early in the month could be a result of lagging Cyber Monday sales from earlier in the week.

Most popular ecommerce product categories

The product verticals that performed best this holiday season in Linnworks were:

• Home & Garden
• Clothing & Accessories
• Jewellery
• Electronics
• Sports
  

This holiday season and last year share the same most popular product categories.

When it came down to the average GMV per order, some product categories outpaced others:

1. £258 – Computers
2. £178 – Jewellery
3. £119 – Cannabis
4. £107 – Catering Supplies
5. £100 – Large Appliances
   

Looking for more ecommerce stats and trends? See our 2022 Black Friday stats online and sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.