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Ecommerce in Germany shrinks, unlike other countries 📉 📉
📚Sources: einzelhandel bevh
Germany’s ecommerce penetration fell from 17% in 2021 to 12% in 2024. Online sales declined from €99B in 2021 to €81B in 2024, marking a major shift back to physical retail.
📉 Ecommerce Peaks, Then Plunges
Until 2021, ecommerce in Germany was on a steady rise. Penetration increased from 11% in 2016 to 17% in 2021. Online sales grew from €53B in 2016 to €99B in 2021. However, since then, ecommerce penetration has fallen to 12% in 2024. Sales also dropped by €18B from their peak, reversing five years of gains. Meanwhile, total retail sales continued growing, from €425B in 2016 to €591B in 2024.
🛒 Non-Food Weakens, Food Stalls
Non-food online shopping is losing ground. The online share of non-food sales dropped from 21.3% in 2021 to 18.5% in 2023. Meanwhile, food ecommerce barely moved—rising slightly from 2.7% in 2021 to 2.9% in 2022, but stagnating at 2.9% in 2023. The preference for in-store grocery shopping remains strong.
📊 COVID Boom Gone, Minor Rebound in 2024
The pandemic’s ecommerce surge has fully faded. In absolute numbers, online retail peaked at €99B in 2021 but fell to €80B in 2023. A minor increase to €81B in 2024 suggests stabilization, but no real recovery. ECDB/EHI data confirms a similar trend, showing consistent declines post-2021 with only a slight uptick in 2024.
💳 Fewer Shoppers, Spending Drops 6% Per Year
Fewer Germans are shopping online, and they are spending less. The share of internet users shopping online fell from 80% in 2021 to 71% in 2024. Meanwhile, annual spending per shopper declined from €1,623 in 2021 to €1,428 in 2024. This represents a 6% average annual drop (CAGR), highlighting a sustained downward trend.
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