The new leader of European e-commerce? Germany is gaining momentum

In 2021 , Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy generated 60% of the total European e-commerce revenue. Even though the UK 's economic and trade situation has been affected to a certain extent after Brexit, the UK is still the leader of European e-commerce. However, data analysis shows that Germany will replace the UK as the leader of European e-commerce in 2025 .

European e-commerce has grown steadily over the past few years, especially since the coronavirus pandemic swept the world. According to recent data released by Statista, online sales account for an increasing share of total retail sales in Europe . In 2021, this share reached 19% in Central and Western Europe , up 6% from 2019 before the pandemic .

In 2020, the UK generated 21% of Europe's total e-commerce revenue, followed by Germany at 19% , France at 13% , and Italy at 6%. These countries generated more than half (59%) of Europe's total e-commerce revenue in 2020. In 2021, with the rapid development of some other emerging markets in Europe, they still firmly occupy the front row, accounting for 60% of Europe's e-commerce revenue.

The latest statistics show that in the first quarter of 2022, Germany's online transaction volume was approximately 22.82 billion euros ( about 160.5 billion yuan ). Germany is the world's fifth largest e-commerce market. In 2021, e-commerce sales increased by 14% year-on-year to 101.6 billion euros ( about 714.6 billion yuan ), second only to the United Kingdom in Europe . In 2021, Germany's online shopping penetration rate also reached 72%.

It is reported that Amazon is still the largest e-commerce platform in the German market , with online sales of 17.3 billion euros (about 121.7 billion yuan) in 2021. Following closely behind is otto.de with online sales of 5.3 billion euros (about 37.5 billion yuan) , and zalando.de with online sales of 2.5 billion euros ( about 17.9 billion yuan) in 2021. The sales of these three e-commerce giants accounted for 25% of Germany's online sales in 2021 .

In Germany, electronics is the largest segment, accounting for 27% of online sales , followed by fashion, accounting for 24% of online sales, toys, hobbies and DIY, accounting for 22%, furniture and appliances, accounting for 14%, and food and personal care, accounting for 13%.

The research report predicts that Germany will become the leading e-commerce country in Europe in 2025. By then, Germany's e-commerce revenue will account for 19% of the European e-commerce market, the UK is expected to account for 18%, and France is expected to account for 12%. The total revenue of European e-commerce will double from 492 billion euros ( about 3.47 trillion yuan ) in 2020 to 1 trillion euros ( about 7.17 trillion yuan ) in 2025 .

In the next few years, Germany's e-commerce market will continue to expand, with a compound annual growth rate predicted to be 5% in the next four years . Sellers can continue to pay attention to this market and make early plans and layout.

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