Shopping on the Internet: Online trading can recover after a crash

Despite thrifty customers and the economic crisis, online retail in Germany has stabilized again after two years of major sales declines and is looking to the future with more confidence. Gross sales of goods in e-commerce rose nominally – i.e. not adjusted for inflation – by 1.1 percent to 80.6 billion euros in 2024, as the Federal Association of E-Commerce and Mail Order Germany (bevh) announced.

“E-commerce is back in positive territory, although the poor consumer mood in Germany continues,” said bevh President Gero Furchheim. This year, the association expects sales to increase nominally by 2.5 percent. If things go well, more is possible because consumers have saved a lot and thus built up reserves. The corona pandemic brought major growth to online trading. Revenues rose to almost 100 billion euros per year, but fell sharply in 2022 and 2023.

Traders are now looking more optimistically into the future. According to Furchheim, there are several reasons for this. Not only has the number of people who want to spend more money on online purchases recently increased. Customers are currently particularly likely to make purchases following an impulse on social media platforms. The trade in used and remanufactured items is also in great demand.

The industry association’s figures are based on representative consumer surveys. More than 700 people in Germany aged 14 and over are asked every week what they have bought online and how much money they have spent.

Customers spend more on event tickets and medication

According to the association, the largest sales increases in online retail in 2024 were recorded in the categories medicines (+6.3 percent), food (+5.5) and pet supplies (+5.4). Revenues from digital services such as travel bookings (+7.1) and the sale of event tickets (+14.5) also increased. These are catch-up effects after the pandemic, as it is said. Online retailers had to accept a loss in electrical goods and telecommunications (-2.4). There was hardly any movement for the fashion trade.

According to the information, the online marketplaces were recently able to expand their market share from 53 to 55 percent. Platforms of Chinese origin such as Temu also benefited from this, as Furchheim says. “In 2024, these providers already accounted for 6 percent of all orders.” The association demands: The EU must finally ensure that unsafe products do not enter the market or that unfair competitive advantages arise from unpaid taxes or customs duties.