Statistics

Only a fraction of online retailers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland offer free delivery for online orders. The largest group of sellers charges shoppers an average of between 2 and 5 euros for shipping.

Online product spending in Germany has experienced a double-digit decline for the first time last year. Expenditures amounted to 79.7 billion euros, a decrease of 11.8 percent compared to the 90.4 billion in 2022.

In 2022/23, the European recommerce market was valued at 94 billion euros. The market share, compared to the total European ecommerce market, is now 12.3 percent. It is expected to increase to 14 percent in the next three years.

Within the top 100 of the biggest online stores in the Netherlands in 2023, 63 percent was custom-built. A year earlier, the amount of these kinds of stores was still 55 percent. Compared to 2020, this is a growth of 50 percent.

In 2021, Dutch companies exported 76 billion euros worth of goods and services ordered online. This accounted for 14 percent of these companies' total exports. As many as 52 percent of ecommerce companies sold crossborder in that year.

Marketplaces have become dominant in global ecommerce, accounting for 60 percent of online spending last year. In Europe, specialized marketplaces in particular are benefiting from this growth.

Forrester anticipates significant growth in online retail spending in the largest European countries in the coming years. The American research firm expects an average annual growth of 9.2 percent.

In 2022, 74.8 percent of Belgian consumers shopped online. This is a higher share than the European average of 68 percent. While Belgians prefer shopping locally, when they do place cross-border orders, these are usually in other countries within the European Union.

In the first quarter of this year, almost eight out of ten Dutch consumers bought something online. This is a small increase compared to the same period in 2022 (74 percent). The current rate of online shoppers is close to the rate in 2021, when it was 77 percent.

Preventing returns is a significant focus for online retailers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. On average, a return costs them between 5 and 10 euros, with some exceeding this range. Detailed product information is seen by entrepreneurs as the key solution.

During November and December, the German courier, express and parcel industry is expected to transport around 715 million shipments. This comes down to around 10 million shipments less than the same period last year, which is a decrease of 2 percent.

Zalando expects its revenue to be 0.5 to 3 percent lower this year compared to 2022, when the company already saw a 0.1 percent decrease in revenue. While the bottom line loss is narrowing, Zalando is struggling to attract buyers. Particularly in the DACH region, spending is under pressure.

Belgian consumers spent 7.9 billion euros online in the first half of this year. This is an increase of 9.4 percent compared to the same period last year. For the first time, more was spent on services than on products.

Based on turnover, many of the 30 biggest brands sold on Dutch marketplace Bol are brands that sell products in consumer electronics and domestic appliances. However, when looking at the amount of sales brands in toys and personal hygiene dominate the top-30. At the same time, brands that are sold by Bol itself have 64 percent share of the total turnover.

At least 70 percent of small and medium sized business owners in Europe admit to lacking the confidence needed to scale their business in the digital realm. A large group of them needs help in optimizing their logistics, while others need assistance in VAT and customs compliance.