Sales of Asian marketplaces in Germany have lost market share, with a 35.5 percent drop in the third quarter, bringing revenue to 566 million euros and cutting their share to 3.1 percent, down from 5.3 percent a quarter earlier.
These figures come from a third-quarter consumer survey conducted by the German Ecommerce and Distance Selling Trade Association (bevh). The survey notes that online sales grew 2.9 percent year-on-year to 18.5 billion euros, still lagging behind the 3.3 percent inflation rate recorded in September.
Alien Mulyk, CEO of bevh, stated that after signs of recovery in the first half of the year, sharply rising energy prices and declining income expectations are now impacting online purchasing behavior. Mulyk added that fewer low-cost packages from Asia are reaching Europe, which has hurt market development.
Since July 1, a flat import fee of 3 euros per product category and new customs duties on non-EU shipments have been applied. According to bevh, this has resulted in much lower sales from Shein, Temu, and AliExpress in Germany.
Mulyk explained that the higher duties are having a significant impact on low-margin, low-priced products from Asia. However, tariffs alone are not enough. To ensure fair competition, the EU must strengthen market surveillance authorities and enforce existing law. Mulyk noted the EU’s recent steps, such as a common customs authority and mandatory transmission of standardized product IDs.
Growth persisted in several categories: online pharmaceuticals rose 15.4 percent, drugstore items 14.3 percent, groceries 9.1 percent, clothing 4.9 percent, and shoes 6.4 percent, each outpacing the total market trend.
Conversely, purchases of larger, more expensive items were delayed, with electronics and telecommunications down 4.6 percent and furniture, lamps, and decoration down 5.2 percent.
Sales via online marketplaces increased 5 percent, multichannel retailers grew 2.5 percent through their digital channels, while pure-play online stores fell 0.8 percent.
Local providers are not able to benefit from the current weakness of Asian competitors. The bevh survey highlights the challenges faced by online retailers in Germany, particularly those relying on imports from Asia.
