Ecommerce Market Data and Ecommerce Benchmarks for the Kitchen & Home Appliances market

Ecommerce Data Commentary: August 2025 +11.78% YOY

Overall Performance

eCommerce sales on the IRP platform saw a 11.78% year-over-year (YOY) increase in August 2025 and continued to outperform the wider market. According to the Retail Gazette UK retail overall sales grew +3.1% in August and +1.8% for non-food sales. BDO reports +6.6% UK YOY online sales growth. Continued good weather and an interest rate cut helped August round off a solid summer of sales.

Noteworthy sector growth includes:

• Baby & Child: +52.56%
• Toys, Games & Collectibles: +36.12%

Strong conversion rates were observed in:

• Health and Wellbeing: +43.77%
• Pet Care: +27.19%
• Baby & Child: +16.79%

Economic Influences

August sales trends on IRP outpaced those of the wider UK economy with +11.78% YOY growth v +1.8% for UK non-food retail (reported by the Retail Gazette) and +3.1% YOY for UK retail in general. According to BDO “Retailers will have to work very hard to maintain the level of growth we’ve seen this month, optimising their product and pricing."

• Consumer Caution: Online sales in August were driven by good weather across the UK. Consumers still remain cautious, but merchants are looking to a strong 'Golden Quarter'.
• Macroeconomic Pressures: Challenges remain at every turn as merchants face rising costs in August and continued global uncertainty.

Key Challenges for 2025:

• Ongoing cost pressures on SME’s continues to dampen business investment, employment and growth.
• US and retaliatory tariffs continue to impact business sentiment.
• Selling in international markets will become more important than ever for cash strapped merchants.

Opportunities for Growth

• International Sales: The US Dollar continues to weaken and the end of the De Minimus exception is creating US duty and shipping issues that will continue for some time to come.

Cost and Conversion Trends

• Cost of Sales (COS): CPA% (percentage spent on marketing channels) reached 8.52%, marking a -4.91% YOY reduction. The CPA% reflects Merchants and Agency tight control on traffic costs.
• Conversion Rates: August 2025 rose YOY from 1.66% to 1.82% (+9.62%), highlighting increased price sensitivity and consumer belt tightening.

Positive Metrics

Despite market tightening, there are bright spots:

• Average Order Value (AOV): £111.58, +1.23% YOY.
• Average Sale Price per Item: +3.64% YOY.
• Mobile Channel Sales Share: 62.30%.
• International Sales: 43.30%

IRP’s Forecast:

August shows that the IRP Platform and Service Marketplace continue to significantly outperform both UK online retail and wider retail economy IRP continues to provide Merchants a way to beat the wider market. Innovation and competition between Agencies and Service Providers continues to deliver for Merchants.