UK shoppers tend to buy same item more than once

Although many U.K. consumers are utilizing online payment gateways for their shopping needs, some are returning items. According to a recent study by ecommerce website Kelkoo, online shoppers are returning £500 million in retail items each year.

Despite the large amount of returns, this is not a knock against the U.K. ecommerce industry. The study found that many people purchase more than one of the same item, but just in different sizes. Since shoppers cannot try on the item from the website, they end up returning the clothes that do not fit.

Of those surveyed, 66 percent said they are not sure about measuring standards across different websites, so purchasing the same item more than once is their way to ensure a particular piece of clothing fits.

"Although a sizing standard does exist in Britain, there is no requirement for manufacturers or stores to use it, resulting in same-size garments from different companies varying significantly," said Kelkoo's director of marketing Chris Simpson.

With more than 2.4 million people looking for jobs in the U.K., the ecommerce market may hold the key to employment. According to a study by IMRG and eDigitalResearch, 63 percent of ecommerce companies have increased their staff in the past year.