E-commerce in Germany grows for the first time in two years

German online retail sales rose slightly for the first time in two years. From April to June, e-commerce sales rose by 0.2% to €19.2 billion, industry association bevh said on Monday. However, the 38.1 billion euros in sales recorded in the first half of the year were still 1.2% down on a year earlier.

Sales of digital services, such as travel bookings and ticket purchases, rose by 4.2% in the second quarter and by 8.4% in the first half to €6.45 billion.

„A market normalisation has begun,” Martin Groß-Albenhausen, deputy managing director of the German e-commerce association bevh said, „but it is too early to talk about the end of the consumption crisis,” he added.

This is due to uncertainties such as political destabilisation and geopolitical conflicts, which could slow the return to growth. Groß-Albenhausen says that the recent spate of news of insolvencies may also prompt consumers to save.

Of the 19 product categories surveyed by bevh, 12 saw growth. In particular, the recovery in fashion, which is very important for the channel, and the continued upward trend in everyday consumer goods (2.9%-2.9%) gave a strong boost in the spring quarter. Of all the segments, food orders produced the strongest sales growth (6.2%). The 4% increase in the first half of the year to €1.9 billion is also well above the general market trend.

Luxury spending on watches and jewellery (up 2.9% in the quarter), which has been particularly hit by German consumers’ thrifty behaviour, rose year-on-year for the first time since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Handelsblatt