Consumer behavior

Online consumer spending in Switzerland increased by 3.5 percent last year, while brick-and-mortar retail saw a slight decline of 0.2 percent. As in many other countries, the share of online sales within total retail continues to rise.

Six months after its debut in the U.S., Amazon Haul has now launched in the United Kingdom. The rollout is in beta, but Amazon has stated that “ultra-low-priced products” will soon be available to all customers in the United Kingdom.

The five largest ecommerce players in Italy account for 46 percent of the sales of the country's top 250 online sellers. Spain also sees a high concentration, with its top five players representing 41 percent of the market. In the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, the market is more evenly distributed. Yet even in those countries, the top 25 sellers are significantly larger than the 225 that follow.

For the past three years, DHL has been charging German online retailers a surcharge for parcel deliveries in November and December. This year, an additional hefty fee will be added during two peak weeks. It could lead German online stores to focus more heavily on Singles Day.

Last year, Belgian consumers spent 17.4 billion euros on online purchases. This was a billion euros more than in 2023, representing an increase of 6.7 percent. In 2024, Belgians did a quarter of all their spending online for the first time.

Last year, Dutch consumers spent 36 billion euros online. This was an increase of 5 percent, compared to 2023. At the same time, the number of orders fell by 1 percent. For the first time, the majority of international purchases were placed with Chinese platforms.

One in fifty visits to medium-sized and small online shops in Germany results in a purchase. The conversion rate on desktops is slightly higher than on mobile devices. The differences between industries are significant.

Online spending in Romania reached 11.7 billion euros last year with 7.7 billion euros spent on products. This was an increase of 10 percent. Growth remains strong and is expected to continue this year.

The European Commission has conducted an investigation into online traders of second-hand goods. A majority of the companies involved in the so-called sweep may be in breach of European consumer rights and will be further investigated.

In the United Kingdom, 46 percent of online shoppers feel overwhelmed by the amount of options and information on retail websites. And one in five shoppers say that they stop shopping when they get a pop-up in the initial moments of a session.

Last year, 96 percent of Irish internet users made online purchases. The country has the biggest percentage of online shoppers, compared to other European countries. The Netherlands and Denmark also have high percentages, with 94 and 91 percent respectively.

After two years of decline, online product spending in Germany has increased once more. In 2024, spending reached 80.6 billion euros, an increase of 1.1 percent. Stronger growth is expected for this year.

More than eight in ten Dutch people bought online in the first half of this year, a record. Especially for personal care products, medicines and vitamin pills, more consumers went online.

With 16.3 million monthly users, Temu is more popular in Germany than anywhere else in the European Union. The more well-known Shein attracts more attention in France, Spain, and Italy, but generates the most revenue in Europe in Germany.

According to Eurostat figures, 58.1 percent of all consumers in the European Union made a recent online purchase last year. Ecommerce is most established in the Netherlands and least in Bulgaria. In many parts of Southeast Europe, adoption remains below 35 percent.