E-Commerce in Germany: Cross-border shares are rising

Germany is one of the top e-commerce nations in Europe. Together with France and Great Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany generates about two-thirds of total European e-commerce sales. A good reason to consider the market: What are the most important online shops? Which online shopping platforms do the Germans use and what is the situation with cross-border trading? Here is an overview.

E-Commerce in Germany during the pandemic

While 94 percent of Germans regularly surf the Internet, 85 percent of users already rely on the World Wide Web for shopping. The continuing pandemic has given e-commerce in Germany a strong boost and has changed consumer behavior: Sales revenues in e-commerce rose to a total of EUR 83.3 billion, a plus of 14.6 percent compared to the previous year. An ascending trend: For 2021, the German industry association Bevh anticipates an online sales volume of more than EUR 100 billion in the area of goods and services.

As of today, four out of ten e-shoppers make purchases online more than once a week. Almost three out of four online shoppers said that they plan to order more or just as much online even after the crisis. According to a Bevh consumer study, in 2019, only every other person expressed this intention. Older consumers are also increasingly making their purchases online: Last year, almost one in three online shoppers was older than 60.

In addition to everyday consumer goods, drugstore products, pet supplies and products from the entertainment category cluster are currently in particularly high demand – as are clothing and shoes.

The top three online stores and marketplaces in Germany

By far the most important online marketplace in Germany is Amazon. In 2020, the e-commerce giant’s sales in Germany rose to just under 25.9 billion euros. This is followed by the Otto Group with its shop Otto.de. The Otto Group is a long-established German retail and services group and, in light of the pandemic, it is also on an enormous growth trajectory: In German e-commerce alone, the retail and services group is expected to generate sales of around 6.9 billion euros in fiscal 2020/21, compared to 5.7 billion euros in the previous period. Main segments of Otto.de are fashion and accessories, home and living as well as household appliances.

Zalando.de follows in third place. Founded thirteen years ago in Germany, the online retailer for fashion and shoes has established itself as a fixture on the European market. In 2019, Zalando generated a sales volume of just under 1.6 billion euros in Germany and revised its forecasts for the 2020 financial year upwards several times during the pandemic. Here, too, management expects a plus of 20 to 22 percent. Today, Zalando has online shops in 16 European countries.

Like Amazon, Otto.de and Zalando.de are open to dealers and, under certain conditions, offer them access to their platforms.