German ecommerce increases 4.3% in first half 2026

Online turnover in Germany has increased 4.3 percent in the first half of the year, compared to the same period last year. In the second quarter, total turnover grew by 5.1 percent. It seems that consumer confidence in the country is improving.

These data come from the Bundesverband E-Commerce und Versandhandel Deutschland, or bevh for short. The association conducted a study on the spending behavior in online and mail-order retail, as well as digital services. It was conducted with a total of 40,000 consumers in Germany between April and June.

Last year, ecommerce in Germany increased beyond expectations, according to bevh, when it grew 3.2 percent. The current study now shows that German consumers are still increasing their online spending.

‘Mainstay of German retail sector’

“Ecommerce has become the mainstay of the German retail sector in this extremely weak consumer environment”, commented Martin Gross-Albenhausen, deputy secretary general of the ecommerce association bevh. “Whether pure online or multichannel retailers or sellers on marketplaces: all were able to benefit from this growth in the second quarter. However, a closer look reveals that platforms – and in particular providers from the Asian region – are capturing an ever-increasing share of the market.”

Shift to online retail

The study also compared different industries in the country. The strongest online growth drivers were retailers of everyday goods (an increase of 10.1 percent), particularly drugstore chains (which increased by 11.7 percent). These industries are increasingly shifting to online retail.

Entertainment and home furnishing lagged behind the market, with a growth of 2.7%

Seasonal product categories, like DIY and flowers also increased strongly, by 10.9 percent. It is followed by hobby and leisure items (increase of 7.5 percent), and car and motorcycle accessories (which grew by 7.6 percent). And mail order pharmacies had the strongest sales growth for medicines, since the introduction of e-prescriptions (an increase of 13.9 percent).

The fashion sector had a stronger growth in the second quarter (4.4 percent), compared to the first quarter (3.6 percent). At the same time, entertainment and home furnishing lagged behind the market (both at 2.7 percent).

Marketplaces had strongest growth

Online marketplaces generated a turnover of 11.5 billion euros in Germany by mid-year. This was an increase of 6.4 percent. Direct-to-consumer manufacturers also grew strongly, by 6.3 percent. Traditional online shops also grew, by 3.8 percent, but this growth rate is slower than other types of businesses. Multichannel retailers with roots in brick-and-mortar retail also increased their online sales, by 2.5 percent. These last two business types are lagging behind other market trends.

Revenue of Asian platforms increased by 20%

According to the study, Asian platforms accounted for 5.3 percent of online orders in Germany by mid-year. One in every 20 euros of turnover in online retail is attributable to Temu, Shein, AliExpress or other platforms from Asia. In the fashion sector, these platforms are even more dominant with a 16 percent share of all orders. Revenues of Asian platforms in Germany grew by 20 percent, much stronger than overall market growth.

‘Goods no longer reach us in a haphazard manner, but are shipped in containers and then distributed in Europe’

The bevh expects that the new parcel tax on imported parcels will have little impact on the market dominance of these platforms. “The levy will have little impact on cheap imports from Asia. Suppliers have already begun to establish their own logistics structures within Europe. This means that goods no longer reach us in a haphazard manner in individual parcels that are almost impossible to monitor, but are instead shipped in containers and then distributed within Europe”, stated Alien Mulyk, Chief Executive at bevh.

6% used AI when looking for product information

In the first half of the year, AI was used by almost 6 percent of online shoppers when searching for information before buying a product. In the second quarter, 31.2 percent of 2,500 online customers said that they asked chatbots for recommendations. By only 12.7 percent said that they would follow a recommendation from a bot without doing any product search themselves. And only 9 percent would be willing to let an AI agent buy products autonomously.