Status quo and trends in e-commerce in Germany

This report analyses the role and development of e-commerce in Germany and identifies future trends. In recent years, e-commerce has become increasingly important in Germany. It is now responsible for more than ten percent of retail sales. Although there are cannibalization effects, a complete replacement of the stationary trade by online trade is not to be expected. The future development of e-commerce will largely be determined by logistics. Shipping logistics can develop into the bottleneck of online trade and slow it down considerably. It can therefore be advantageous for retailers to set up their own logistics structures or at least to examine new logistics services. This is particularly true since logistics determines the purchase decision in e-commerce to a high degree and is therefore decisive for the success of each retailer.