London named one of the UK’s top online shopping cities
Whether it’s grabbing a last-minute outfit, topping up the weekly food shop, or hunting down a bargain during a coffee break, online shopping has become second nature for millions of Brits. Some cities are far more addicted to the click than others, and the difference might surprise you.
Shopping online has obvious perks – it saves time, offers access to a huge range of products, and makes it easy to compare prices without leaving the sofa. But it’s not just convenience that drives it. People enjoy discovering new brands, finding deals, and having their shopping delivered straight to their door. From students and busy professionals to families juggling work and home life, the habit is spreading fast across the country.
A new study by fulfilment.com has analysed Google search data to find out which UK cities are most keen on shopping online. Researchers looked at 20 major retail and e-commerce search terms, covering household names and popular apps, then adjusted the figures to reflect population size so every city was judged fairly.
London ranks eighteenth in the UK, with 18,575 online shopping searches per 10,000 residents. While London is often thought of as a shopping hotspot in person, these figures show that residents are also highly active online, using digital platforms to compare prices, browse brands, and hunt for deals across fashion, electronics, groceries, and more.
London’s engagement is notable, though it is lower per capita than smaller cities like Bolton or Plymouth. Manchester records 5,650 searches per 10,000 residents, highlighting how Londoners remain active online shoppers despite the city’s vast population and access to physical stores.
Rounding out the nearby top-ranking cities are Ipswich with 18,812 searches and Warrington with 18,740 per 10,000 residents, showing that strong online shopping activity is not limited to the capital alone.
List of the UK cities where residents are most interested in online shopping:
| Rank | Area | Online Shopping Search Interest per 10,000 people |
| 1 | Bolton | 38,895 |
| 2 | Plymouth | 38,882 |
| 3 | Leeds | 34,224 |
| 4 | Stockport | 28,944 |
| 5 | Peterborough | 25,177 |
| 6 | Oxford | 23,954 |
| 7 | Huddersfield | 23,370 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton | 22,766 |
| 9 | Dundee | 22,501 |
| 10 | Poole | 21,869 |
| 11 | Edinburgh | 20,867 |
| 12 | Bristol | 20,741 |
| 13 | Norwich | 20,143 |
| 14 | Portsmouth | 19,853 |
| 15 | Walsall | 19,345 |
| 16 | Ipswich | 18,812 |
| 17 | Warrington | 18,740 |
| 18 | London | 18,575 |
| 19 | Swindon | 17,849 |
| 20 | Aberdeen | 17,533 |