Germany

Of the world’s 250 largest ecommerce companies, 95 have their headquarters in Europe. That is three more than in North and South America combined and significantly more than in Asia. Within our continent, Germany hosts the most headquarters.

This week, the winners of the E-Commerce Germany Awards were announced during a gala. There were 12 categories in which service providers competed for the title. Winners include Odoscope, Mollie and Sendcloud.

German online platform Otto is eliminating 480 call center positions. This results in layoffs of hundreds of employees. Several of the company’s customer service locations will be closed completely.

Marketplace aggregator SellerX has announced that it is letting go of a fifth of its workforce. This comes down to 170 jobs out of a total of more than 800. The company is doing this because it needs to cut costs.

A large share of German online store owners are dissatisfied with developments in the German ecommerce market. Strict regulations in the country about online sales seem to be the biggest hurdle for sellers, at least 60 percent of sellers are dissatisfied by the legal framework.

Last year, Amazon once again outpaced the ecommerce market growth in both Germany and the United Kingdom. Its revenue reached 39.6 billion euros and 36.7 billion euros, respectively. The American company has managed to withstand the rising competition from Chinese platforms, with growth in the United Kingdom accelerating even.

Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com is said to be in talks with Ceconomy, the owner of MediaMarkt and Saturn, about an acquisition. The Chinese platform wants to expand in Europe while its domestic economy is slowing down.

TikTok Shop is preparing to launch in Germany, as indicated by various job postings. Notably, sellers will soon be able to utilize Fulfilled by TikTok (FBT) in Germany. This suggests TikTok plans to open warehouses for sales partners on the European mainland.

German online marketplace Kaufland is discontinuing Fulfillment by Kaufland (FBK). The service will remain active until February 28, after which stored products will be returned free of charge to the respective selling partners. The platform is working on an international multichannel alternative.

Most well-known marketplaces and social media platforms are using dark patterns. These are designs that manipulate consumers into making impulsive purchases, or into revealing more data. Using these patterns is banned under the DSA. Stricter regulations seem necessary, say researchers.

After two years of decline, online product spending in Germany has increased once more. In 2024, spending reached 80.6 billion euros, an increase of 1.1 percent. Stronger growth is expected for this year.

Galaxus, Switzerland's largest ecommerce company, saw its platform sales increase 18 percent last year, reaching 3.4 billion euros. Growth was particularly strong outside its home market, with further European expansion on the agenda.

Zalando customers in Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy will have less time to return orders starting tomorrow. The return window will be shortened from 100 days to 30 days. Changes to the loyalty program, Zalando Plus, are also imminent in these three countries.

If Zalando acquires About You, the company will not only strengthen its position in the consumer market but also become the new owner of Scayle, a provider of ecommerce software. This acquisition would create "the next B2B powerhouse for the ecommerce industry in Europe".

With 16.3 million monthly users, Temu is more popular in Germany than anywhere else in the European Union. The more well-known Shein attracts more attention in France, Spain, and Italy, but generates the most revenue in Europe in Germany.