Satisfaction German online sellers is declining

In 2025, 60 percent of German retailers who participated in a study said that they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their online business. This indicates a significant decline compared to 2024. The share of satisfied or very satisfied sellers has fallen from 48 to 40 percent.

These data come from the latest annual study about German ecommerce from Händlerbund, a German retailers’ association. The previous study showed that 52 percent of retailers were dissatisfied, in 2024.

Revenues dropped for more than half of participants

When looking at revenues, the pressure that German online sellers are experiencing seems to be confirmed. More than half of the retailers that were surveyed said that they had declining revenues last year. Up to 37 percent said that revenues have dropped, another 19 percent experienced a sharp decline.

Only 27% of retailers reported rising revenues

Just 27 percent of participating retailers reported rising or significantly rising online sales. Most sellers will have to make plans for 2026 with less financial flexibility, in a complex market environment.

Hurdles for online sellers

However, declining sales are not the only constraint that these sellers are experiencing. A study earlier this year already indicated that nine out of ten German online sellers said that bureaucratic procedures place a heavy or very heavy burden on them. The current study confirms this, as 70 percent of online sellers said that bureaucratic requirements are a major hurdle.

Bureaucratic requirements and customer service are most significant burdens for online sellers

Customer service was mentioned almost as often. For 67 percent of respondents it is a significant burden. Legal requirements are a challenge for 48 percent, and an equal share said that competitive pressure is a big obstacle. Accessibility (37 percent) and payment issues (32 percent) were also mentioned often.

Competition intensifying

According to 69 percent of the respondents, competition in German ecommerce has intensified. Just 2 percent expect that the competitive landscape will remain unchanged this year. This could have consequences for sellers: visibility, margins, customer acquisition and retention are under increasing pressure.

Because of this, most sellers are cautious about this year. Up to 39 percent expect a difficult year, with several hurdles. Another 33 percent are neutral and hope for stable development. And 28 percent are positive or cautiously optimistic. There is a decline in optimism, as the share of retailers who are very optimistic fell from 13 to 4 percent.