In 2025, 60 % of German retailers who participated in a examine mentioned that they have been dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their on-line enterprise. This means a big decline in comparison with 2024. The share of glad or very glad sellers has fallen from 48 to 40 %.
These knowledge come from the newest annual examine about German ecommerce from Händlerbund, a German retailers’ affiliation. The earlier examine confirmed that 52 % of outlets have been dissatisfied, in 2024.
Revenues dropped for greater than half of members
When taking a look at revenues, the strain that German on-line sellers are experiencing appears to be confirmed. Greater than half of the retailers that have been surveyed mentioned that that they had declining revenues final yr. As much as 37 % mentioned that revenues have dropped, one other 19 % skilled a pointy decline.
Solely 27% of outlets reported rising revenues
Simply 27 % of taking part retailers reported rising or considerably rising on-line gross sales. Most sellers must make plans for 2026 with much less monetary flexibility, in a posh market setting.
Hurdles for on-line sellers
Nevertheless, declining gross sales should not the one constraint that these sellers are experiencing. A examine earlier this yr already indicated that 9 out of ten German on-line sellers mentioned that bureaucratic procedures place a heavy or very heavy burden on them. The present examine confirms this, as 70 % of on-line sellers mentioned that bureaucratic necessities are a serious hurdle.
Bureaucratic necessities and customer support are most important burdens for on-line sellers
Customer support was talked about nearly as typically. For 67 % of respondents it’s a vital burden. Authorized necessities are a problem for 48 %, and an equal share mentioned that aggressive strain is an enormous impediment. Accessibility (37 %) and fee points (32 %) have been additionally talked about typically.
Competitors intensifying
In line with 69 % of the respondents, competitors in German ecommerce has intensified. Simply 2 % count on that the aggressive panorama will stay unchanged this yr. This might have penalties for sellers: visibility, margins, buyer acquisition and retention are below growing strain.
Due to this, most sellers are cautious about this yr. As much as 39 % count on a troublesome yr, with a number of hurdles. One other 33 % are impartial and hope for secure growth. And 28 % are constructive or cautiously optimistic. There’s a decline in optimism, because the share of outlets who’re very optimistic fell from 13 to 4 %.
