According to a 2023 revenue assessment, the top 10 online stores in Europe are dominated by cross‑border sellers, with a mix of US giants and home‑grown platforms.
Amazon leads Europe’s e‑commerce rankings
The US marketplace secured the number‑one spot, thanks to dedicated country sites that often outpace local rivals. In Germany and the United Kingdom it enjoys a clear market‑share lead, a pattern that repeats across much of the continent.
Its scale lets it offer fast delivery and a vast product catalogue, factors that keep shoppers returning. While the platform’s reach is broad, the list also shows rising competition from other overseas players.
European‑based platforms hold their own
Among the remaining nine, several European companies appear alongside foreign entrants. The German Otto operates a marketplace that sells clothing, furniture, electronics and beauty items, ranking just behind the leading US giant in its home market.
The Dutch retailer Bol began as a books and DVD shop and now runs a partner‑seller programme that remains strong in Belgium and the Netherlands. Turkey’s Trendyol, which launched in Germany in 2022, adds a delivery service, food ordering and a digital wallet to its offering, and maintains offices in the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Swedish furniture group Ikea continues to expand its online presence beyond its physical stores, while fashion chain H&M and French retailer Carrefour leverage omnichannel strategies to capture shoppers on both screens and aisles. Asian‑origin platforms Shein and Temu have also taken noticeable market share, prompting EU policymakers to consider stricter rules on what they see as unfair competition.
Amazon tops the European market.
Looking back, the top‑ten composition mirrors a gradual shift.
A few years ago, the list was almost entirely populated by US and Asian firms, but the emergence of platforms like Otto and Bol shows that local marketplaces are gaining traction, especially as they tailor services to regional consumer habits. This evolution suggests that while scale still matters, proximity to customers and localized logistics are becoming equally valuable.
Supermarkets such as the UK’s leading grocery chains and France’s hypermarkets command sizable online sales, yet they were excluded from this ranking to focus on retailers with broader product assortments. Names like Albert Heijn, Jumbo and the Dutch‑only online supermarket Picnic frequently appear in broader top‑100 lists, showing the diversity of the sector.
For businesses eyeing cross‑border growth, platforms like Webador and Shopify are cited as tools optimized for European markets, offering integrations that can help sellers manage the continent’s varied regulations and fulfillment networks.
