Question reference: S6W-12929
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 7 December 2022
-
Current status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 December 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much turnover has been generated by ecommerce businesses in Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer
Data is not collected in this way, because many firms engaged in e-commerce are likely to also be trading in other ways. However, the Digital Economy Business Surveys (DEBS) carried out in 2017 and 2021 offers some insight. These surveys contain estimates of the proportion of total business sales were made via e-commerce in the previous 12 months.
Proportion sales made via e-commerce by Scottish Businesses, % (not including sole traders) | ||
2017 | 2021 | |
100% | 1 | 4 |
80 - 99% | 4 | 5 |
60 - 79% | 3 | 3 |
40 - 59% | 3 | 4 |
20 - 39% | 4 | 5 |
Less than 20% | 15 | 13 |
Any sales via e-commerce | 30 | 35 |
None | 66 | 61 |
Don't know | 4 | 4 |
Base | 3,258 | 3,346 |
Source: Digital Economy Business Survey, 2017 & 2021 DEBS has been carried out approximately every three years since 2014. Note that sole traders were not included in these surveys. | ||