Germany’s online shopping scene is prospering despite many economic and social difficulties. Millions of people are turning to the web for everything from clothing to electronics, travel, leisure, furniture, automotive, and more. But what are the leaders in the online market?
To help you navigate this dynamic online environment, we’ve compiled a list of the top 100 online stores in Germany. This curated selection covers a variety of industries, so there’s a lot going on here.
Interested? So find out more details below.
Basics about the German Market
Germany, as a leading force in the EU, has been facing some pretty significant challenges. For example, inflation spikes and the recent slide into recession.
Germany found itself in a bit of a tough spot, with inflation peaking at a staggering 11.6% in October 2022. By March 2023, it simmered down to 7.76%, but that’s still above what most of Western Europe was dealing with. A lot of this financial pressure came from Germany’s heavy reliance on Russian oil and gas, which really backed them into a corner when Europe began cutting down on fossil fuels after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What also has contributed to this state? High levels of debt due to public spending during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the good news is that the situation with inflation has improved considerably. Its state in Germany as of April 2024 was 2.4%.
Then, there was the recession issue. The German economy saw back-to-back quarters of shrinking GDP by the end of 2022 and the start of 2023. Currently, things are still not very positive in this field. Contrary to expectations, at the start of 2024, there is no discernible economic recovery yet.
Moreover, Germany’s population is declining. As of 14 May 2024, Germany had a population of 83,252,474. This represents a 0.5% decline from 2023.
Source: Macrotrends
Now, despite these economic tremors, Germans are still keen on online shopping. As of January 2024, there were 77.70 million Internet users in Germany. The Internet penetration rate in this country was as high as 93.3% of the total population at the beginning of 2024. Moreover, the number of Internet users in Germany increased by 165,000 (+0.2 percent) between January 2023 and January 2024.
Invariably, smartphones and laptops are the most popular devices for online shopping in Germany. And what are customers buying? A lot of consumer electronics and fashion clothing.
Source: Europe ecommerce region report, RetailX 2023
Interestingly, German online shoppers like technological novelties and innovations and can’t wait to try them out. In Q2 2023, different groups of German consumers identified which technologies they were looking forward to. Among them are personalized product recommendations (preferred by 45% of Gen Z representatives) or frictionless payments (chosen by 57% of millennials).
Source: Statista
So, all in all, while there are economic challenges, the push towards ecommerce are bright spot for Germany. Online consumers are adapting, shifting, and aiming to come out stronger on the other side.
The Best 100 Online Stores in Germany
EHI has compiled a list of “Top 100 Online Stores in Germany”, and you can see them below – along with their respective revenue and category.
| Rank | B2C Online Shop | Net E-Commerce Revenue (2022, in Million Euros) | Category |
| 1 | amazon.de | 14,393.4 | Generalist |
| 2 | otto.de | 4,520.0 | Generalist |
| 3 | zalando.de | 2,609.2 | Apparel |
| 4 | mediamarkt.de | 1,811.0 | Consumer Electronics |
| 5 | apple.com | 1,360.7 | Consumer Electronics |
| 6 | ikea.com | 1,302.0 | Furniture & Household Goods |
| 7 | lidl.de | 965.9 | Food & Beverages |
| 8 | hm.com/de | 920.2 | Apparel |
| 9 | saturn.de | 897.0 | Consumer Electronics |
| 10 | aboutyou.de | 894.5 | Apparel |
| 11 | notebooksbilliger.de | 702.0 | Consumer Electronics |
| 12 | bonprix.de | 698.6 | Apparel |
| 13 | breuninger.com/de | 696.9 | Apparel |
| 14 | cyberport.de | 678.1 | Consumer Electronics |
| 15 | shop-apotheke.com | 664.6 | Pharmacy & Health |
| 16 | shop.rewe.de | 650.0 | Food & Beverages |
| 17 | docmorris.de | 643.5 | Pharmacy & Health |
| 18 | bestsecret.com | 626.7 | Apparel |
| 19 | alternate.de | 615.7 | Consumer Electronics |
| 20 | tchibo.de | 580.0 | Generalist |
| 21 | douglas.de/de | 540.9 | Pharmacy & Health |
| 22 | edelmetall-handel.de | 492.4 | Hobby & Stationery |
| 23 | flaschenpost.de | 467.9 | Food & Beverages |
| 24 | thomann.de/de | 457.5 | Books, Films, Music & Games |
| 25 | baur.de | 448.7 | Generalist |
| 26 | bauhaus.info | 441.2 | DIY, Garden & Pet Supplies |
| 27 | de.shein.com | 434.1 | Apparel |
| 28 | goldsilbershop.de | 430.0 | Hobby & Stationery |
| 29 | auragentum.de | 412.6 | Hobby & Stationery |
| 30 | hornbach.de | 393.7 | DIY, Garden & Pet Supplies |
| 31 | zooplus.de | 375.8 | DIY, Garden & Pet Supplies |
| 32 | obi.de | 371.8 | DIY, Garden & Pet Supplies |
| 33 | mindfactory.de | 367.7 | Consumer Electronics |
| 34 | nike.com/de | 365.7 | Apparel |
| 35 | qvc.de | 357.6 | Generalist |
| 36 | shop.degussa-goldhandel.de | 357.5 | Hobby & Stationery |
| 37 | anlagegold24.de | 333.7 | Hobby & Stationery |
| 38 | limango.de/shop | 330.0 | Apparel |
| 39 | mytoys.de | 326.5 | Toys & Baby |
| 40 | thalia.de | 309.1 | Books, Films, Music & Games |
| 41 | euronics.de | 283.8 | Consumer Electronics |
| 42 | dm.de | 283.1 | Pharmacy & Health |
| 43 | zalando-lounge.de | 279.3 | Apparel |
| 44 | home24.de | 278.5 | Furniture & Household Goods |
| 45 | flaconi.de | 277.2 | Pharmacy & Health |
| 46 | kaufland.de | 276.6 | Generalist |
| 47 | reuter.de | 258.4 | Furniture & Household Goods |
| 48 | adidas.de | 256.5 | Apparel |
| 49 | wayfair.de | 250.8 | Furniture & Household Goods |
| 50 | xxxlutz.de | 249.7 | Furniture & Household Goods |
| 51 | soliver.de | 248.6 | Apparel |
| 52 | jacob.de | 238.0 | Consumer Electronics |
| 53 | zara.com | 234.2 | Apparel |
| 54 | expert.de | 232.0 | Consumer Electronics |
| 55 | asos.com | 226.8 | Apparel |
| 56 | hse.de | 222.8 | Generalist |
| 57 | c-and-a.com/de/de/shop | 216.6 | Apparel |
| 58 | decathlon.de | 216.4 | Sports & Outdoor |
| 59 | medimops.de | 206.3 | Books, Films, Music & Games |
| 60 | eis.de | 204.4 | Apparel |
| 61 | medikamente-per-klick.de | 201.0 | Pharmacy & Health |
| 62 | canyon.com | 190.6 | Sports & Outdoor |
| 63 | bader.de | 188.2 | Generalist |
| 64 | rebuy.de | 177.7 | Consumer Electronics |
| 65 | galaxus.de | 173.1 | Generalist |
| 66 | klingel.de | 170.4 | Apparel |
| 67 | coolblue.de | 162.5 | Consumer Electronics |
| 68 | fressnapf.de | 162.0 | DIY, Garden & Pet Supplies |
| 69 | medpex.de | 161.8 | Pharmacy & Health |
| 70 | esprit.de | 159.6 | Apparel |
| 71 | peek-cloppenburg.de | 152.4 | Apparel |
| 72 | apodiscounter.de | 146.3 | Pharmacy & Health |
| 73 | galeria.de | 145.7 | Generalist |
| 74 | misterspex.de | 145.2 | Apparel |
| 75 | computeruniverse.net | 144.4 | Consumer Electronics |
| 76 | netto-online.de | 143.0 | Generalist |
| 77 | voelkner.de | 141.6 | Consumer Electronics |
| 78 | jako-o.com/de_DE | 138.7 | Toys & Baby |
| 79 | ernstings-family.de | 138.6 | Apparel |
| 80 | christ.de | 138.6 | Accessories |
| 81 | medion.com/de/shop | 136.9 | Consumer Electronics |
| 82 | kfzteile24.de | 136.4 | Consumer Electronics |
| 83 | samsung.com/de | 135.8 | Consumer Electronics |
| 84 | bofrost.de | 134.0 | Food & Beverages |
| 85 | bike24.de | 133.9 | Sports & Outdoor |
| 86 | veepee.de | 133.6 | Generalist |
| 87 | rosebikes.de | 131.3 | Sports & Outdoor |
| 88 | weltbild.de | 130.0 | Books, Films, Music & Games |
| 89 | campingwagner.de | 129.9 | DIY, Garden & Pet Supplies |
| 90 | witt-weiden.de | 128.4 | Apparel |
| 91 | office-partner.de | 127.5 | Consumer Electronics |
| 92 | poco.de | 126.0 | Furniture & Household Goods |
| 93 | reifendirekt.de | 125.6 | Consumer Electronics |
| 94 | teufel.de | 125.1 | Consumer Electronics |
| 95 | casando.de | 122.8 | Furniture & Household Goods |
| 96 | emp.de | 120.9 | Apparel |
| 97 | westwing.de | 118.3 | Furniture & Household Goods |
| 98 | reichelt.de | 118.1 | Consumer Electronics |
| 99 | babymarkt.de | 117.3 | Toys & Baby |
| 100 | lampenwelt.de | 116.0 | Furniture & Household Goods |
Sales Development of the Top 1000 B2C Online Shops
The revenue growth of the top 1,000 B2C online shops in Germany has been remarkable, increasing from 17.5 billion euros in 2008 to an impressive 77.7 billion euros in 2022. This consistent upward trajectory highlights the robust expansion of the e-commerce market. Both HDE and Bevh reported total market revenue, which also mirrors this growth and suggests that the industry is doing really well.
To capitalize on this trend, businesses should consider investing in top-performing B2C online shops and sectors that are driving this growth. Keeping up with this fast-changing market will require adopting new technologies and improving customer experience.
Top 3 B2C Online Shops in Leading Revenue Sectors
In the general category of online shops, Amazon.de stands out with a staggering 14,393.4 million euros in revenue, dwarfing its competitors Otto.de and Lidl.de. In the clothing sector, Zalando.de leads significantly with 2,609.2 million euros, followed by Hm.com/de and Aboutyou.de.
The consumer electronics sector sees Mediamarkt.de at the forefront, although Apple.com is a close contender.
For businesses looking to expand their reach, forming partnerships or marketing collaborations with these leading online shops can be highly beneficial. Additionally, benchmarking against these top performers to identify and adopt best practices will be essential for driving growth and competitiveness in the respective sectors.
Revenue Shares of Sectors
Generalist online shops dominate the market with a 30.4% share, followed by clothing at 18.3% and consumer electronics at 11.7%. Other sectors, including DIY, health, and furniture, contribute smaller but significant shares to the overall market.
To maximize market penetration, businesses should consider diversifying their product offerings to include these high-revenue categories. Tailoring marketing strategies to target the largest segments, particularly generalist and clothing sectors, will be critical for capturing a substantial market share. Keeping a close watch on trends within these dominant sectors will also enable businesses to adapt and remain competitive.
Revenue Shares by Ranking in the Top 1000
The top 10 online shops contribute a substantial 38.2% of the total revenue, amounting to 29.7 billion euros. The next tier, comprising the top 11 to 100 shops, holds a significant 32.5% share. While smaller shops ranked from 101 to 1,000 contribute less, their collective impact remains noteworthy.
Businesses should prioritize partnerships or business deals with top-ranking online shops to maximize revenue opportunities. Supporting mid-tier shops (Top-11 to 100) and smaller shops (Top-101 to 1,000) with resources and tools to enhance their competitiveness can also drive growth and capture additional market share.
Top-5 B2C Marketplaces
Amazon.de is the undisputed leader among B2C marketplaces with a colossal 46,340.6 million euros in gross merchandise volume (GMV). Other notable marketplaces include Ebay.de, Otto.de, Zalando.de, and Mediamarkt.de, although they lag significantly behind Amazon.
To leverage this dominance, businesses should optimize their product listings and marketing efforts on Amazon.de. However, diversifying their presence across other marketplaces such as eBay, Otto, and Zalando can help capture additional market segments. Continuously monitoring performance and trends on these platforms will enable businesses to adjust their strategies effectively and maximize their market reach.
Last Words
This is the end of our list of the Top 100 Online Stores in Germany! If you’re a curious shopper looking for new shopping destinations, a businessman who wants to learn about the German online market, or an online store owner who wants to stand out from the competition, you may find this list useful and informative.
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