The UK is one of the biggest clothing exporters in Europe. And when it comes to buying British, the US is the biggest shopper followed by China. One of the major reasons for the rise in shopping from the UK is pricing. The pound’s falling value is helping make goods even more attractive to foreign wallets. The other top motivations for cross-border buying are the chance to get hold of products not available in their own country and the opportunity to discover new things to buy.

Mobile shopping is also helping power the UK’s international popularity. Also working in British retailers’ favor is the fact the nation’s top two export markets, the US and China, are at the forefront of this mobile revolution. Here, smart phone shopping accounted for 61 per cent and 84 per cent of international online purchases respectively in the last year.

To build on this achievement, the country is making it easier and cheaper for UK firms to sell online to customers around the world – with face-to face support from e-commerce advisers, negotiated preferred rates on online marketplaces and information. The ambition is to grow exports as a percentage of GDP to 35 per cent, and getting more UK firms to sell online is key to achieving this.