German e-commerce sales grow 11% in 2017

Revenues in the e-commerce sector in Germany grew 10.9 percent in 2017 to reach a total of EUR 58.466 billion, according to research from Germany’s federal e-commerce association (bevh). Thanks to these strong results, the association said it expects e-commerce revenues to grow an additional 9.3 percent in 2018, totaling EUR 63.9 billion. 

Pure e-commerce revenues now account for every eighth euro in the German retail sector. While independent online and multi-channel retailers grew more strongly than online marketplaces in terms of percentages and in revenue numbers, online marketplaces remain the most important place of purchases on the internet. 

The study found that multichannel retailers were especially successful in 2017, with revenues increasing by 21 percent (EUR 3.5 billion) to nearly EUR 20.1 billion. Providers with a background in physical retail accounted for the largest share of those revenues with 26.2 percent. Revenues with online marketplaces grew 4.4 percent to EUR 27.9 billion, while “pure” online players saw their revenues grow 12.6 percent to EUR 8.56 billion. 

Total revenues for the sector including computers, games and accessories increased by 20.9 percent to a total of EUR 4.448 billion in 2017, up from EUR 3.679 billion in 2016. E-commerce revenues for electronic and telecommunications devices increased 13 percent to EUR 9.879 billion, up from EUR 8.745 billion in 2017.