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Barbara Engels / Christian Rusche IW-Report No. 33 4. September 2019 Status quo and trends in e-commerce in Germany

However, e-commerce is not equally important in the individual product groups. Above all, food is still largely sold offline. In the near future, the importance of e-commerce is expected to increase further.

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Status quo and trends in e-commerce in Germany
Barbara Engels / Christian Rusche IW-Report No. 33 4. September 2019

Status quo and trends in e-commerce in Germany

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

However, e-commerce is not equally important in the individual product groups. Above all, food is still largely sold offline. In the near future, the importance of e-commerce is expected to increase further.

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.
 

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Status quo and trends in e-commerce in Germany
Barbara Engels / Christian Rusche IW-Report No. 33 4. September 2019

Status quo and trends in e-commerce in Germany

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

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Christian Rusche / Jeanne Mouton in European Journal of Law and Economics External Publication 15. November 2023

The anti‑steering provision of Article 5 (4) of the DMA: a law and economics assessment on the business model of gatekeepers and business users

Data is a success factor for digital platforms and the core of their business model. The rationale behind this is that data allows for improving the matching process between users which creates value for the platform.

IW

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Jeanne Mouton / Christian Rusche in Competition Policy International External Publication 27. October 2023

To share or not to share: Regulating Data Brokers

Data has become an increasingly important input in the economy. Hence, data and access to data play an increasingly key role in the global economy and for innovation and are crucial for the competitiveness of companies and the EU economy.

IW

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