Britain loves designer handbags

Luxury handbags are the UK’s cup of tea, according to the World Luxury Index, an analysis of the most search luxury brands, which found that British shoppers love designer handbags more than any other country.

The research conducted by the Digital Luxury Group, looked at global online shopping habits, and measuring the demand against each market’s internet population, the UK shows the highest affinity for luxury handbags with 422 searches per 1000 internet users. This compared to 315 in the US, 196 in Italy, and 185 in France.

Mulberry was named the most searched bag brand in the UK, the British brand received more than twice the number of searches than second brand Chanel; however Coach was named the world's most in demand - followed by Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Longchamp. The rest of the global top ten index included Prada, Hermes, Mulberry, Marc Jacobs, and Michael Kors.

When it comes to iconic, the Hermès' Birkin bag inspired by British actress Jane Birkin was the most search for iconic model across all markets, with the crocodile leather, one of the most expensive skins, being the most searched for style for consumers in the US, UK and France. The Birkin beat off competition from the Chanel 2.55, Louis Vuitton’s Speedy and Mulberry’s Alexa.

Although the majority of the top 50 luxury handbag brands are European, American brands are proving their strength in the market with 14 out of the 50 handbag brands in the report originating from the US. This included the most in demand brand Coach; however it is less popular in Europe, ranking only 7th in the UK, 11th in Germany, 19th in France, and 29th in Italy.

This report is the first digital analysis of the luxury handbag market and covered more than 130 leading luxury handbag brands in eight global markets including the UK, US, France, Italy and Japan.

Image: Mulberry Bayswater