E-commerce
European E-commerce: How GDPR Shaped Website Features
We analyzed 120 e-commerce sites across four European markets — France, UK, Netherlands, and Poland. GDPR hasn't just added compliance burden; it's created an entirely new category of features that European shoppers now expect.
The GDPR Feature Set
Features that are CRITICAL in European markets but OPTIONAL elsewhere: granular cookie consent controls, data download request mechanism, account deletion option, consent management platform, and privacy preference center. These exist on 80%+ of European e-commerce sites but under 30% of US sites.
Country Comparison
| Country | Critical | Cookie Quality | Multi-language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 UK | 39 | Simple accept/reject | English only |
| 🇫🇷 France | 37 | Granular controls | French + English |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 29 | Detailed options | Dutch + English |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 37 | Most detailed | Polish only |
Poland matches France in critical features despite a smaller market — a sign that EU regulations have equalized digital standards across member states.