‘European ecommerce set to grow 5% this year’

Growth in online consumer spending in Europe is slowing down. For the current year, Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce expect growth of 5 percent in nominal terms. The growth engine in Eastern Europe is grinding to a halt.

Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce jointly publish an annual report on developments in the online consumer market. The latest edition covers 38 countries and includes figures on online turnover and growth, internet use and the share of online shoppers, alongside developments in consumer behaviour, AI, sustainability and regulation.

Online spending in 2025

In 2025, online consumer spending in Europe reached 911 billion euros, up 7 percent from the (revised) 842 billion euros recorded in 2024. Taking inflation into account, real growth reached 4 percent. The industry associations say the figures reflect continued steady growth.

Growth continues to slow

However, growth in 2025 was one percentage point lower than in 2024. For the current year, Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce expect the pace of growth to slow further: they forecast nominal growth of 5 percent and real growth of 3 percent for 2026 as a whole:

Online growth across European regions

The European E-commerce Report 2026 also provides growth figures for the different regions across the continent. In 2025, while all regions recorded growth, the pace varied. Western Europe, the largest ecommerce region, recorded the lowest nominal B2C ecommerce turnover growth, at 5 percent. The region accounted for 57 percent of total European turnover. Northern Europe grew by 6 percent, while Central Europe increased by 8 percent.

In Eastern Europe, real spending is declining

Last year, growth was strongest in Southern Europe (11 percent) and Eastern Europe (14 percent). However, growth in the latter region is slowing sharply: after 18 percent in 2024 and 14 percent last year, nominal growth in Eastern Europe is expected to fall to just 5 percent this year. Due to high inflation, real ecommerce spending in the region is even expected to decline by 1 percent.

Level playing field

Upon publication of the report, Ecommerce Europe and EuroCommerce once again called on Brussels to take action. The organisations urged policymakers to reduce administrative burdens and barriers within the single market and to enforce the rules more consistently for both European and non-European sellers, in order to create a more level playing field.