Ikea beats out Amazon and Dell to nab top spot in UK e-commerce customer experience report

Ikea UK has the best customer experience for e-commerce shoppers in 2025. 

That's according to The Retail Ranking report, by Refined Commerce, which looked at 100 of the largest e-commerce sites in the UK across 12 sub-sectors, and used a number of factors to determine the brands and the sub-sectors best prepared for customers, including page speed, responsiveness, accessibility, and visibility on Google. 

Ikea was found to have the least amount of jumpiness on site, according to its CLS score, a quick responsiveness to user interactions (INP), and just one accessibility issue at the time of analysis. 

Following Ikea is Amazon, which had one of the highest domain ratings of those analysed at 96, just behind Apple, meaning people searching for various items will likely see Amazon at the top of their Google search results. 

The only fashion and apparel site to appear in the top ten is House of Fraser, which sells luxury clothing from a number of brands, alongside home and furniture. House of Fraser came in eighth place, with one of the fastest loading speeds on mobile and desktop. 

Warhammer (previously Games Workshop) came in ninth place, with just one accessibility issue found on Axe Core Dev Tools, similar to the likes of eBay, Apple and Next at the time of analysis. 

The Body Shop and My Protein were the two health, beauty and cosmetics sites to appear in the top ten, with users likely to experience no lag times and quick responsiveness when shopping on site. 

The best websites for e-commerce experience:

1 - Ikea

2 - Amazon 

3 - Dell

4 - The Body Shop 

5 - MyProtein

6 - Etsy

7 - eBay

8 - House of Fraser

9 - Warhammer

10 - Game.co.uk

The two sectors that have stood out the best in the Refined Retail Ranking for best shopping experience are toys and hobbies and books, media and entertainment. Of all 12 sub-sectors analysed, it was those that sell pet and food and beverage supplies that fell short, in the bottom two places in terms of best experience for the shopper, of the brands analysed at the time of writing. 

Rowan Burgess, Director at Refined Commerce, comments: “During busy shopping periods, websites must be fast, stable and accessible to meet customer expectations - both on desktop and on mobile.”

“Accessibility is especially vital during peak shopping times to ensure all customers, including those with disabilities, can browse and purchase without any barriers. Features like screen reader compatibility, proper alt text for images, clear navigation and keyboard functionality aren’t just good practice - they’re essential."

“Meanwhile, strong visibility on Google ensures sites appear prominently in search results, capturing high intent shoppers and driving organic traffic. Without these elements, e-commerce businesses risk losing potential sales to competitors offering a smoother, more reliable, and visible online experience.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

E-commerce will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which will open for entries in March, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.