Amazon’s reach in the EU levels off

Amazon has seen the number of recipients of its shopping services in the European Union decline slightly. In the first half of this year, the company reported an average of 193.9 million recipients per month, down from 195.2 million in the second half of last year.

The figures were recently submitted by Amazon to the European Commission. They concern the “average monthly active recipients (‘AMARs’) of the service in the Union”. These recipients are, of course, not necessarily buyers. The EU average stands at 193.9 million per month, but Amazon has also provided a breakdown by individual member state.

Most recipients

Amazon’s reach within the EU is by far the largest in Germany, which is also its biggest European market in terms of sales. From January through June this year, the company recorded 52.8 million active recipients per month in the country. France (38.8 million), Italy (38.1 million) and Spain (27.9 million) follow, with the Netherlands (6.6 million) trailing far behind.

Development

Of these five countries, the Netherlands has the smallest reach and is the only one where Amazon’s reach increased in the first half of this year compared with the previous reporting period.

The Netherlands is also the most recent of these markets to get a dedicated Amazon store. According to ECDB, Amazon’s sales there grew by 2.7 percent last year, but the gap with local market leader Bol widened. Amazon is investing 1.4 billion euros over three years to narrow it.

Denmark tops growth ranking

The figures also show that Amazon’s reach within the EU grew fastest in Denmark (+18.4 percent). Sweden (+13.9 percent) and Ireland (+12.1 percent) also recorded double-digit growth. Amazon’s reach declined the most in Greece (-20.2 percent), where Skroutz is the market leader.

Transparency reports

Amazon has been submitting transparency reports to the European Commission since 2023 under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Last year, the reporting was harmonised, meaning that only the two most recent reports can be properly compared.