Germany

Costumer behavior in Germany is shifting. Google Shopping and price comparison sites are 10 percent less popular compared to 2019. When it comes to shoppers' research before making a purchase, social media and video websites like YouTube have grown more popular among German shoppers.

Online sales of physical goods in Germany made 9 percent less revenue last year. Digital services such as travel and events, on the other hand, increased by nearly 40 percent. In total, German ecommerce generated just over 100 billion euros of revenue in 2022.

Online payment provider Paypal is under investigation by the Federal Cartel Office (FCO) in Germany. The company has allegedly hindered market and price competition in its terms and conditions, the German watchdog says.

About You wants to introduce a minimum order value for free shipping in all of its markets this year. The German fashion platform is hoping to cut costs by having fewer orders with low values in the future. About You is currently testing the minimum order value in some of its markets.

German online fashion giant Zalando has added a new product category to its platform: toys. The new category is already added to the platform’s homepage in all its markets. With this launch, the platform continues to expand its range of products for children.

German ecommerce aggregator Razor Group has raised 70 million dollars (65.7 million euros). The company currently has over 200 brands in its portfolio, but wants to add more soon. The funding will also be used to expand geographically.

Fashion Cloud, a B2B data startup, has raised 25 million euros in growth capital. The German company wants to use the new capital injection for product development. In addition, Fashion Cloud wants to accelerate its international expansion.

In the period from October 1^st to November 30^th, which includes Black Friday, German sales of online retailers decreased 16.8 percent when compared to the same period in 2021. It is the first time that this decrease happens, since researchers started measuring in 2014. However, an increase of 13.1 percent remains when compared to 2019.

Beerwulf, the Heineken-owned online beer retailer, has launched its own marketplace in the Netherlands. Now, third party retailers can sell products on its platform. Beerwulf’s new platform will enter the United Kingdom in 2023, followed by Germany, France and Italy.

German antitrust watchdog, the Federal Cartel Office (FCO), has announced that it is widening its investigation into Amazon’s activities in Germany. The renewed investigation will take into account a reformed German competition law, targeting digital giants. The investigation looks into pricing and instruments applied by Amazon to control marketplace sellers.

Online fashion giant Zalando has exceeded 50 million active customers for the first time. Its active customer base grew with 8 percent when compared to a year ago. Additionally, its loyalty program called Plus almost tripled its membership.

When making a purchase decision, at least 55 percent of Germans find reviews of a shop or product important. However, fake reviews are a common problem in ecommerce. As a result, 74 percent of Germans want reviews to have a label of authenticity.

Shopify is expanding its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program to Europe. The program, which offers Shopify integrations for merchants, first launched last year. The company is working with local ERP software companies from the Netherlands, Germany and Spain for the European launch.

In 2021, Mediamarkt entered the top 3 German online stores with the highest turnover. In doing so, it pushed out Zalando. Amazon is still leading the ranking with 15.68 billion euros.

Momox, a second hand marketplace for media products, is expanding to Italy and Spain. The company is also planning to launch its fashion segment, now only available in Germany, in more European markets.