3. COMPETING IN THE WORLD ECONOMY

OECD SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY SCOREBOARD 2009 © OECD 2009

94

3.6. Electronic commerce

The Internet is redefining relations between busi-
nesses and consumers, enabling companies to sell
their products and services around the globe on an
unprecedented scale. Shoppers can buy online at
their convenience at any time and from anywhere. E-
commerce therefore allows firms around the world to
compete in the global marketplace, at lower costs.

Use of the Internet to sell goods or services varies
across industries and countries. In OECD countries, on
average, over 33% of all businesses (with 10 or more
employees) use the Internet for purchasing and about
17% for selling goods or services.

Over half of all businesses in Australia, Canada, Germany,
Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland purchase via
the Internet. Approximately one-third of all busi-
nesses in Australia, New Zealand and the United
Kingdom sell goods or services via the Internet.

Canada and Korea show the largest differences
between the shares of businesses selling and purchas-
ing over the Internet. Large differences coincide with
exceptionally high use of Internet purchasing and,
generally, a below-average level of Internet selling.

In most European countries, the volume of Internet
and other e-commerce sales transactions (including
over proprietary electronic data interchange) is
increasing as a percentage of total turnover. In 2008,
Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland
reported the highest shares.

Sources

OECD, ICT Database, May 2009.

Eurostat Community Survey on ICT Usage in Enter-
prises, May 2009.

Going further

OECD (2008), “The Future of the Internet Economy: A Sta-
tistical Profile”, www.oecd.org/dataoecd/44/56/40827598.pdf.

OECD (2009), “Guide to Measuring the Information Society
2009”, www.oecd.org/sti/measuring-infoeconomy/guide.

Figure notes

The definition of Internet selling and purchasing var-
ies between countries, with some explicitly including
orders placed by conventional e-mail (e.g. Australia
and Canada) and others explicitly excluding them
(e.g. Ireland, the United Kingdom and some other
European countries). Most countries explicitly use the
OECD concept of Internet commerce, that is, goods or
services ordered over the Internet but payment and/or
delivery may be off line. For Australia, Internet income
results from orders received via the Internet or the
web for goods or services, where an order is a commit-
ment to purchase.

Total sales via the Internet or other networks during
the reference year, excluding VAT.

Measuring electronic commerce

OECD defines an Internet commerce transaction
as “the sale or purchase of goods or services,
whether between businesses, households, indi-
viduals, governments, and other public or private
organisations, conducted over the Internet”.

The goods or services are ordered over the Inter-
net, but the payment or ultimate delivery of the
good or service may be conducted on or off line.
The OECD suggests including: orders received or
placed on any Internet application used in auto-
mated transactions such as web pages, extra-
nets and other applications that run over the
Internet (such as electronic data interchange
[EDI] over the Internet), or over any other web-
enabled application regardless of how the web is

accessed (mobile phone, TV set, etc.). It suggests
excluding orders received or placed by tele-
phone, facsimile or conventional e-mail. A
broader electronic commerce transaction may be
conducted over any computer-mediated network
(including the Internet). The OECD suggests
including: orders received or placed on any
online application used in automated transac-
tions such as Internet applications, EDI over pro-
prietary networks, Minitel or interactive
telephone systems. It should be noted that dif-
ferences exist in the statistical treatment of
e-commerce by countries.

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3.6. Electronic commerce

Internet selling and purchasing for total industry, 2008

Percentage of businesses with 10 or more employees

1 2

http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/745017767085

Percentage of enterprises’ total turnover from e-commerce, 2008

As a percentage of total enterprise turnover

1 2

http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/745078151318

60

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Selling

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Australia (2007)

Austria

Belgium

Canada (2007)

Czech Republic

Denmark

EU27

Finland (2007)

France

Germany (2007)

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Korea (2007)

Luxembourg

Mexico (2003)

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Slovak Republic

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland (2005)

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