According to projections by the Institute for Retail Research in Cologne, online retail sales in Germany are expected to reach approximately 141 billion euros in 2024. Furthermore, the German Ecommerce and Distance Selling Trade Association (bevh) forecasts a growth rate of 4.8% for the current year.
With its economic prowess in the heart of Europe, Germany emerges as a prime spot for ecommerce.
The German online marketplace landscape
Germany's ecommerce marketplace landscape has been experiencing consistent growth, attracting an increasing number of consumers and retailers. This surge in participation has led to a corresponding increase in sales.
Many of Germany's leading retailers have expanded their operations to major online marketplaces. Amazon, in particular, has become a prominent platform, with about 35% of the top 500 online retailers utilizing it for distribution. Ebay has also become a significant platform, with 40% of the top 50 online retailers active on it, among other platforms.
The evolution of the online landscape in Germany has also witnessed the emergence and growth of several leading marketplaces. These platforms have established themselves as go-to destinations for specific product categories, achieving national and international prominence.
We've put together a list of the top 15 marketplaces in Germany based on the volume of monthly visits to help you understand the potential of your brand and products.
Amazon.de
Category Focus: All categories
Special Features: Largest market share in Europe, high brand awareness and customer satisfaction, services for obtaining German VAT numbers, flexible shipping methods, option for warehouse storage, Basic and Pro seller plans.
Amazon.de dominates Germany's ecommerce industry, with exceptional ecommerce net sales of US$18,556 million annually. This platform is renowned for its diverse product range and service offers, making it an essential component of any competitive online retail strategy in Germany.
With brand metrics that outperform local competitors such as eBay, MediaMarkt, and Otto regarding awareness, interest, purchase, and preference, Amazon.de leads in market share, consumer trust, and satisfaction levels equivalent to global giants like Apple.
By selling on Amazon, merchants receive access to a large and loyal consumer base and various incentives such as Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon Prime benefits, Amazon Advertising opportunities, and Buy Box eligibility. To use this platform, sellers must first register and choose a selling plan that fits their company model—individual or professional.
Learn more about selling on Amazon here.
Ebay.de
Category Focus: All categories.
Special Features: eBay Kleinanzeigen for private sales, comprehensive marketing tools for promotions, customizable store templates, flexibility in seller account types (private or professional), strategic listing enhancements.
Thanks to its high user traffic (over 150 million visits per month) and diverse product choices, eBay.de cements its position as an integral platform in Germany's ecommerce market. It offers a dual marketplace model, with eBay.de catering to a global audience and eBay Kleinanzeigen specifically created for private vendors in Germany, demonstrating the platform's adaptability to different seller needs.
eBay is well-known for its extensive catalog, which includes collectibles, the latest gadgets, and fashion trends, catering to a wide range of consumers.
eBay.de provides sellers with services designed to increase sales and visibility. This includes access to eBay Kleinanzeigen for local market targeting, various marketing tools for successful item promotion, and configurable themes to improve the aesthetic appeal of their online storefronts. Sellers can choose to start up as private individuals or professional entities, with each option tailored to varied degrees of selling activity and goals.
eBay.de encourages professional design and promotional deals to meet buyer expectations, highlighting the platform's commitment to fostering successful seller-buyer relationships.
Learn more about selling on Ebay.de here.
Otto.de
Category Focus: Fashion, lifestyle, furniture, electronics.
Special Features: It offers branding opportunities for sellers, a strong focus on the German-speaking market, strict vendor approval conditions for quality assurance, sustainability and ethical shopping emphasis, and direct contact required for the selling process initiation.
Otto.de, headquartered in Hamburg, is Europe's leading B2C online retailer focusing on fashion and lifestyle, with a strong presence in several online shopping industries. Otto, known for its stronghold in Germany as a top local competitor to international behemoths such as Amazon and eBay, has built trust, particularly among the older section of German online buyers.
This marketplace allows selling under one's brand and promotes the German-speaking market, providing a particular edge for targeted marketing efforts.
The marketplace is differentiated by its stringent vendor clearance procedure, which ensures a high standard of product offerings while upholding confidence and quality across its platform. Otto's distinct approach to the selling process, which requires potential sellers to communicate directly with them, distinguishes it from other marketplaces and demonstrates its dedication to curating a select group of vendors.
Otto.de has an annual ecommerce revenue of €12 billion and offers a diversified product line, attracting thousands of users daily who are attracted to its fashion-forward services. Otto's commitment to sustainability and ethical manufacturing techniques sets it apart in the ecommerce sector, enticing customers who value environmental responsibility and ethical purchasing experiences.
Otto's business model and sustainability policies set a high benchmark for corporate social responsibility in digital retail.
Learn more about selling on Otto here.
Zalando.de
Category Focus: Clothing, sports, fashion, accessories, shoes.
Special Features: Specializes in the fashion niche, over 2,000 brands with openness to new collaborations, requirements for sellers including free shipping and returns, DHL shipments, 100-day return policy.
Zalando continues to grow as a significant player in the global ecommerce sector, having established itself as Europe's largest online apparel store. Based in Berlin, the company has seen a phenomenal yearly sales growth of at least 20% over the last decade, attracting a younger audience that is easier to convert.
This marketplace excels at serving the fashion niche, beating other European competitors with a diverse portfolio of over 2,000 brands and an open mindset toward new partnerships.
Zalando diligently curates its offerings, limiting external merchant participation to those selling clothes, sports, accessories, and footwear. This focus guarantees a high-quality and relevant purchasing experience for its customers. Potential sellers, whether corporate or individual vendors, are urged to contact Zalando with extensive product details for evaluation.
To start selling on Zalando, various requirements must be satisfied, including maintaining one's website, delivering free shipping and returns, handling logistics through DHL, and adhering to a 100-day return policy.
These criteria demonstrate Zalando's commitment to customer satisfaction and operational excellence. Zalando represents an outstanding opportunity for merchants whose products fit within Zalando's specialized categories and who can comply with these terms.
Learn more about selling on Zalando here.
Kaufland.de
Category Focus: Groceries, electronics, fashion, home goods.
Special Features: Connection to the established Kaufland brand, expansion into European markets, fast-growing online presence with a GMV growth rate seven times the domestic average, streamlined seller registration process, diverse marketing support, and personalized assistance, ability to connect an online store to Kaufland.de seller account.
Kaufland.de has grown from its inception as a grocery chain to become one of the biggest names in Germany's ecommerce industry. It offers diverse products, such as food, electronics, fashion, and home goods. This shift to the digital marketplace has increased consumer appeal, leveraging the Kaufland brand's long-standing reputation for quality and reliability.
The platform, formerly known as Real.de, has not only established a strong foothold in Germany and plans to expand into other European markets, such as the Czech Republic and Romania. Its Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) has increased by 92% in the last five years, exceeding the overall growth of German ecommerce and demonstrating Kaufland.de's quick rise in the sector.
Kaufland.de's vast marketplace, which includes over 8,000 sellers and more than 40 million products across 5,000 categories, receives 32 million visitors per month, providing sellers with a tremendous opportunity to reach a diverse audience. This platform provides a strong ecommerce solution that combines the ease of online purchasing with the confidence and familiarity of the Kaufland brand.
Learn more about selling on Kaufland here.
Temu
Category Focus: All categories.
Special Features: Extensive product range across diverse categories, emphasis on affordability through economies of scale and efficient supply chain management, rapid expansion into European markets, including Germany.
Since its debut in the United States in September 2022, Temu has quickly risen to prominence in the ecommerce sphere, as seen by its rapid expansion into numerous European nations by March 2023, including a significant presence in Germany. This adaptable online marketplace has captured a large audience by providing a diverse assortment of products that cater to a wide range of customer interests and requirements, including fashion, beauty, technology, and home goods.
Temu's exceptional growth trajectory is highlighted by its impressive gross merchandise volume, which hit $1 billion by June 2023, indicating the platform's considerable impact on the global ecommerce sector. Temu's success is primarily due to its unwavering dedication to affordability. The platform achieves this by leveraging economies of scale and streamlining supply chain management to provide competitively priced items without sacrificing quality.
Temu gives a golden chance for sellers to enter a varied and growing market backed by a platform that stresses efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This approach benefits not just consumers looking for good value but also vendors who want to reach a large and engaged audience looking for an exciting and economical shopping experience.
MediaMarkt.de
Category Focus: Electronics, household appliances.
Special Features: Specialization in electronics and tech products, a strong background in physical retail, a targeted audience of tech-savvy consumers, substantial net sales indicating a robust online presence.
MediaMarkt.de, which has roots in over four decades of retail history, has emerged as a key player in Germany's ecommerce industry, particularly for its focus on electronics and household appliances. MediaMarkt.de has successfully expanded its reach by transitioning from a formidable network of physical stores to an extended online marketplace, catering to a global clientele with a strong interest in cutting-edge technology and electronics.
With 20.2 million visits per month in Germany, the platform's specialist focus sets it apart from other broad ecommerce sites, creating a niche marketplace for sellers looking to connect with consumers passionate about electronics.
MediaMarkt.de's primary advantage is its specific expertise, which includes various products ranging from home theaters and coffee machines to dishwashers and games. This provides vendors a unique opportunity to engage with an identifiable and engaged consumer base, thereby increasing sales and awareness in the competitive tech area.
As MediaMarkt grows both inside and outside of Germany, its combination of retail legacy and ecommerce innovation positions it as an essential participant in the worldwide marketplace for electronics and household appliances.
Learn more about selling on MediaMarkt here.
Asos.de
Category Focus: Fashion, footwear, accessories, beauty products.
Special Features: Ships to over 140 countries, weekly addition of up to 7000 new items, mobile application with product matching technology, opportunities for young designers and trend-savvy sellers.
ASOS is a giant in the ecommerce fashion sector, with a global reach of over 140 countries and a catalog refreshed weekly with up to 7000 new items. This British online fashion and cosmetics giant has made considerable advances in Germany, capturing a broad audience with its diverse products. The site is incredibly amiable to young designers and sellers with an eye for current trends, offering them an attractive environment to present their items to a global audience.
One of ASOS's distinguishing characteristics is its revolutionary mobile application, which uses photo-matching technology to connect consumers with similar products accessible on the site, demonstrating the company's commitment to integrating technology into fashion retail. This method improves the shopping experience and puts ASOS at the forefront of digital retail innovation.
ASOS's focus on diversity in product selection guarantees that it appeals to a wide range of preferences, styles, and occasions, making it a one-stop shop for fashion-forward customers.
With its enormous global reach, technical innovation, and diverse product offering, ASOS provides a compelling platform for sellers seeking to reach the fashion-conscious consumer. It is a perfect fit for anyone hoping to make their name in the fashion business.
Learn more about selling on Asos here.
Decathlon.de
Category Focus: Sports gear, clothing, equipment, fashion, hobby & leisure, furniture & homeware.
Special Features: Own fulfillment service, competitive pricing, in-house and international brand offerings, smart filters for product selection, and nationally-focused sales with a strong presence in the German market.
Decathlon is a beacon for sports and outdoor enthusiasts in Germany, distinguished by its extensive assortment of sporting gear, clothes, and equipment. Decathlon.de, which is owned by Decathlon Deutschland SE & Co. KG, has emerged as a significant force in the German ecommerce sector since the introduction of its online store in 2009.
The platform's dedication to low prices and high-quality items has solidified its position as a top choice for people pursuing an active lifestyle.
With ecommerce net sales predominantly generated in Germany, Decathlon offers a diverse product selection spanning multiple categories such as fashion, hobby & leisure, and furniture & homeware, establishing itself as an all-encompassing online store.
Decathlon's introduction of its fulfilment service in a vast 32,000 square meter warehouse in Dortmund demonstrates the company's commitment to efficient and dependable customer service, which up to 400 devoted employees support.
Decathlon's commitment to making sport more accessible is shown in its competitively priced technical equipment, catering to new and experienced athletes. The site includes its "Signes Sports" brands, such as Quechua, B'Twin, Kipsta, Tribord, and other well-known international brands.
Decathlon also improves the shopping experience with smart filters, allowing customers to narrow their choices based on brand, stock levels, margin, and pricing factors. This reinforces its position as a prominent participant in the German sports and outdoor products sector.
Learn more about selling on Decathlon here.
Other Notable Marketplaces
Shop Apotheke Europe: Specializes in the pharmaceutical business and provides a secure platform for purchasing drugs, beauty items, and nutritional supplements online. Established in 2001 and presently headquartered in Venlo, Netherlands, its key advantage is its focus on health-related products, which ensures consumer trust in an industry where safety and dependability are critical.
Thomann: Thomann provides music enthusiasts with various instruments, studio equipment, and lighting. Thomann, which serves multiple countries and is priced in euros, is an excellent choice for amateur and professional musicians looking for high-quality equipment.
Saturn: As part of the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, Saturn is a leading technology marketplace that sells the latest goods, including headphones and gaming consoles. Saturn attracts over 20.5 million monthly visitors, making it a popular destination for electronics fans and dealers.
Conrad: Known for its expertise in electronics and technology, Conrad entices clients with a diverse assortment of consumer electronics and industrial components. The platform is praised for its dependability and expert assistance, making it a popular choice among tech-savvy customers.
Alltricks: Dedicated to the cycling community, Alltricks offers many bicycles, parts, and accessories. Its user-friendly layout and a plethora of customer feedback make it a popular marketplace among German cycling aficionados.
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