LIGHT VERSION

2021
EUROPEAN
E-COMMERCEREPORT
Executed by:

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

INTRODUCTION

LIGHT VERSION

A WORD FROM ECOMMERCE EUROPE
Luca Cassetti
Secretary General

As the European association representing the digital commerce
sector in Europe, Ecommerce Europe would like to thank theCentre for Market Insights of the Amsterdam University ofApplied Sciences for preparing this report. This year’s reportcovers a very special year, undeniably marked by the outbreakof the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike ever before, the e-commerce
sector played an extraordinary role in society, safely providing
consumers access to goods in times that severe restrictions
were in place to protect people’s health. As a result, there has
been an exceptional growth in the sale of products, but due tothe lockdown measures, also a great loss in the tourism andevents sector. These developments are reflected in this year’s
findings, which show that with a turnover growth rate of 10%,
e-commerce in Europe still grew significantly, but slightly lessthan in 2019, when it was 14%. Growth rates are forecasted tocontinue their upward trend in 2021, with an expected growthrate of 12%.
The last year has triggered many changes in our societies andeconomies. To respond to the rapidly changing commercial
reality, businesses needed to accelerate their digitaltransformation. Companies that previously only operated via
offline sales channels, now also started to develop a digitalpresence. Ecommerce Europe believes that the trend towards
an increasingly omnichannel retail sector was inevitably coming,
but the pandemic has further expedited this development.
This has exposed the need for a complementarity between
the physical and digital side of retail, both for businesses tobe able to meet the growing expectations of consumers fora seamless commerce experience, but also in terms of policy.
From a regulatory perspective, online and offline commerce
are often still treated separately in the EU. Ecommerce Europe
has identified the development of a channel-neutral and2

futureproof legislative framework as one of the key priorities
for the coming years for building a resilient and competitive
EU retail sector.
In parallel to the digital transformation, moving towards anincreasingly sustainable digital commerce sector is also one
of Ecommerce Europe’s key objectives. As part of a complex
social, environmental and economic ecosystem, businesses
have rethought the way they produce, the way they exchange,and how and what they sell to consumers. We consider thegrowth of e-commerce as an opportunity to structurally shift
to more sustainable retail and consumption practices, aswell as an opportunity to use the digitalisation of our society
to make the transition to a more sustainable economy. The
e-commerce sector has the potential to become a key driver
for the circular economy and its evolution is constantly
opening new opportunities for more sustainable practices,which should be further encouraged.
To build on the developments in the sector, EU policymakers
should seize the opportunity to support digital transformationand innovation, in particular for SMEs, deliver on channelneutral legislation, and continue to embed digitalisation as a
key component of sustainability policies.

Ecommerce Europe: The European Digital
Commerce Association

Ecommerce Europe represents, through its 24 national
associations, more than 150,000 companies selling goods
and services online to consumers in Europe. Ecommerce
Europe acts at European level to help legislators create abetter framework for online merchants, so that their sales
can grow further. We are the European platform for digitalcommerce, where national associations, company members
and business partners can network and share best practices,
exchange information and knowledge on issues concerning
their business.

Ecommerce Europe’s Public Affairs Activities

Ecommerce Europe represents the interests of the digitalcommerce sector vis-à-vis European legislators. Our advocacy
activities focus on the following main pillars:
Digital Regulations
Digital Transactions and Innovation
Logistics & parcel delivery
Sustainability
Platforms
Trust (Ecommerce Trustmark)These pillars are structured into Working Committees that aremanaged by the Brussels Secretariat. Members of Ecommerce
Europe can participate in the committees to discuss and further
develop the positions of the association on a wide range of
topics. These meetings are also the occasion to get informed,
share best practices and discuss obstacles merchants facein their daily e-commerce operations. Ecommerce Europe
translates the outcome of the Working Committees into policy
recommendations for legislators on how to make it easierfor merchants to sell online, especially cross-border. At thesame time, we provide practical and useful information to ourmembers on relevant developments at European Union level.

If you would like to get involved with Ecommerce Europe
or one of our national associations, please visit our websitewww.ecommerce-europe.eu or send us an e-mail at
info@ecommerce-europe.eu.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

INTRODUCTION

LIGHT VERSION

A WORD FROM EUROCOMMERCE
ChristianVerschueren
Director-General

EuroCommerce, the European voice of the retail and wholesale
sector, is proud again this year to support the European
E-commerce Regional Report. 2020 will go down as a year of
massive challenges for the whole of the European economy
and for every individual in Europe. E-commerce quickly
responded to the challenges by ensuring continued access to
producers and services to consumers during the pandemic.
Retail and wholesale, especially in non-food, was hit particularly
hard by restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Providersof daily essentials and retailers supporting the “home nesting”
economy and home working recorded strong activity rates inareas such as home improvement, gardening and electronics.
Wholesalers serving the hospitality sector and retailers andwholesalers in other segments, such as clothing, shoes
and accessories, have experienced dramatic falls in sales.
Online sales and click & collect helped, but not sufficiently tocompensate for the significant losses in physical shops arisingfrom the restrictions. Investments in digitalisation accelerated,with digitalisation plans initially planned over several years
being implemented in a matter of months.
E-commerce makes 10 -15% of total retail sales in the EU. Yet it
influences a much greater share of the consumer journey (upto 50% or more), which nowadays includes a mixture of physicaland online. Robust growth over the past decade accelerated
with the Covid 19 pandemic with many more consumers going
online for the first time: 71% of the population bought online
in 2020, up from 66% in 2019, and 64% in 2018. We expect
this trend to continue to grow as consumers having gained
experience, see the advantages of online sales and expect aseamless experience including a combination of online andoffline interactions for their shopping.

3

With retail and wholesale an important linchpin for theEuropean economy, we are calling on national governments
and European policymakers to make digitalisation a major
priority for the recovery of our sector and the economy as awhole. Prior to the pandemic, 70% of retailers, especially microbusinesses, had no e-commerce offering. This is important asa digital presence showed itself as a vital lifeline and a matterof survival for many companies facing repeated waves ofrestrictions and are today very short of liquidity. We expectthat 20-30% of retailers are likely to be unable to continue
in business once all support mechanisms are removed. With
retail and wholesale a vital element underpinning the life of
local communities, this would have a dramatic effect on thecontinued attractiveness and vibrancy of local communities,
and on very many local jobs.
Key priorities for supporting very small or micro companies
going digital include awareness-raising, provision of advice on
establishing an online presence to allow companies to reach
their customer base and support to entrepreneurs. In parallelto this support, developing a regulatory environment to create
a level playing field in relation to marketplaces should also be apriority. Online platforms have emerged as a useful mechanism
for SMEs to reach customers online, without having to invest
in a web-shop or branding. However, restrictions by supplierson trading on third party marketplaces may restrict retailers,
especially SMEs, in using this important channel.

EuroCommerce: The European Voiceof the Retail and Wholesale sector
EuroCommerce is the principal European organisation
representing the retail and wholesale sector. It embraces
national associations in 28 countries and 5 million companies,
both leading global players such as Carrefour, Ikea, Metro andTesco, and many small businesses. Retail and wholesale is thelink between producers and consumers. Over a billion times
a day, retailers and wholesalers distribute goods and provide
an essential service to millions of business and individual
customers. The sector generates 1 in 7 jobs, offering a varied
career to 26 million Europeans, many of them young people.
It also supports millions of further jobs throughout the supply
chain, from small local suppliers to international businesses.
EuroCommerce is the recognised European social partner forthe retail and wholesale sector.
EuroCommerce stands for:fair, competitive & sustainable retail and wholesale in Europe
Our roles:
EU advocacy and intelligence
Research, learnings and thought leadership
Exchange and networking
Positive communication and sector reputation

We hope that this report, in providing important facts andfigures on developments in European e-commerce, willcontribute to better understanding where support for thedigital transformation of retail and wholesale is needed.

We are EU policy specialists in:
Supply Chain & Economics, Data & Privacy, E-Commerce &Payments, Environment & Sustainability, Single Market,
International Trade, Food & Non-Food Products, Jobs & Skills,
Consumer Rights and Taxation.

“Robust growth over the past
decade accelerated with the Covid
19 pandemic with many moreconsumers going online for the
first time.”

If you would like to get involved with EuroCommerce, please
visit our website www.eurocommerce.eu or send us an e-mailat bastings@eurocommerce.eu.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CONTENTS

LIGHT VERSIONCONTENTS
05
07
13
16

Europe Market Overview
Europe E-Commerce Overview
EU-27 E-Commerce Overview
European webshops: An analysis of the EU-27

23
24
25
27
28
29
31
32
34
35
37
39
40
41
43

WESTERN EUROPE
BelgiumInterview: Greet Dekocker, SafeShops
Interview: Sofie Geeroms, BeCommerceFranceInterview: Marc Lolivier, FEVAD
Germany
Interview: Martin Groß-Albenhausen, BEVH
Ireland
Interview: David Campbell, Digital Business IrelandInterview: Duncan Graham, Retail Excellence
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Interview: Marlene ten Ham, Thuiswinkel.org
United Kingdom

44
45
46
47
48
49
50
52
53
54
55
56
58
59

NORTHERN EUROPE
Denmark
Interview: Henrik Theil, Dansk Erhverv
EstoniaInterview: Tõnu Väät, E-kaubanduse Liit
Finland
Interview: Ilari Kallio, Kaupan litto
Iceland
LatviaLithuania
NorwayInterview: Gerhard Anthun, Virke e-Handel
SwedenInterview: Per Ljungberg, Svensk Digital Handel

4

60
61
62
63
64
65
66
68
69
71
72
73
74

CENTRAL EUROPE
AustriaInterview: Rainer Will, Handelsverband
CzechiaInterview: Jan Vetyška, APEK
Hungary
Interview: Norbert Madar, GKI Digital
PolandInterview: Patrycja Sass-Staniszewska, EIZBASlovak Republic
Slovenia
Switzerland
Interview: Patrick Kessler, HANDELSVERBAND.swiss

76
77
78
79

EASTERN EUROPE
Albania
Bulgaria
Interview: Janet Naidenova, Bulgarian E-commerce
Association
CroatiaInterview: Marcel Majsan, eCommerce Hrvatska
Moldova
North Macedonia
Interview: Nina Angelovska, Macedonian Ecommerce
Association
RomaniaInterview: Florinel Chis, ARMO
RussiaInterview: Nadezhda Vinogradova, Data Insight
SerbiaInterview: Zorana Milidrag, Ecommerce
Association of Serbia
Ukraine

81
82
83
84
85
87
88
89
90
92
93
94

95
96
97
98
100
101
102
103

SOUTHERN EUROPE
CyprusGreeceInterview: Katerina Fraidaki, GRECA
Italy
Interview: Roberto Liscia, Netcomm
MaltaInterview: Denise Borda, Malta Communications Authority(MCA)
105 Portugal
106 Spain
107 Interview: Cesar Tello, Adigital
109 Methodology & Sources
110 About Us & Thanks
111 CopyrightEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

MARKET OVERVIEWEUROPE

LIGHT VERSION

MARKET OVERVIEWEUROPEThe European continent is home to diverse markets, with
e-commerce markets that also vary greatly. Digital skills,
including internet use, alongside purchasing power, are all
factors that impact the adoption and growth of e-commerce.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, internet use increased at a
normal growth rate, rounding off the year with 89% of the
population accessing the internet (this encompasses all 37
countries). Although GDP did not see substantial growth,2021 is projected to be a better economic year for thecontinent.

EUROPE’S E-COMMERCE REGIONSn Western Europe
n Central Europen Northern Europe
n Eastern Europe
n Southern Europe

GDP

POPULATION OF EUROPE, MILLIONS

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion€17,171

2017
SOURCE: IMF

5€17,2192018€17,577

2019Year by year population in millions€17,660

2020€18,333

2021 (F)732.64

2017733.682018

SOURCE: WORLDOMETER

734.472019734.952020

INTERNET USERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

735.232021 (F)

84%

85%

2017

2018

87%

2019

89%

89%

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT; STATISTA; UNITED NATIONS; PARTNERS

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

MARKET OVERVIEWEUROPE

LIGHT VERSIONINFRASTRUCTURE & LOGISTICS

Logistics Performance Index(2018)

Ease of Doing Business Index(2020)

E-Government Development
Index (2020)

Inclusive Internet Index(2021)

Universal Postal Union
Reliability Score (2020)

UNCTAD B2C E-commerce
Index Ranking (2020)

Environmental Performance
Index Ranking (2020)

Global Cybersecurity Index
Ranking (2020)

Logistics Performance Index(2018)

Ease of Doing Business Index(2020)

E-Government Development
Index (2020)

Inclusive Internet Index(2021)

Universal Postal Union
Reliability Score (2020)

UNCTAD B2C E-commerce
Index Ranking (2020)

Environmental Performance
Index Ranking (2020)

Global Cybersecurity Index
Ranking (2020)

Logistics Performance Index(2018)

Ease of Doing Business Index(2020)

E-Government Development
Index (2020)

Inclusive Internet Index(2021)

Universal Postal Union
Reliability Score (2020)

UNCTAD B2C E-commerce
Index Ranking (2020)

Environmental Performance
Index Ranking (2020)

Global Cybersecurity Index
Ranking (2020)

Rankings highlighted are leaders among countries in the report

Belgium

3

46

41

21

12

21

15

19

Norway

21

9

13

-

34

9

9

17

Romania

48

55

55

29

44

45

32

62

France

16

32

19

6

6

17

9

5

Sweden

2

10

6

1

24

15

8

26

Serbia

65

44

58

-

29

43

45

39

Germany

1

22

25

25

3

6

10

13

Austria

4

27

15

27

2

19

6

29

Ukraine

66

64

69

48

30

51

60

78

Ireland

29

24

27

23

15

8

16

46

Czech Republic

22

41

39

31

16

22

20

68

Moldova

116

48

79

-

26

53

87

63

Luxembourg

24

72

33

-

71

36

2

13

Hungary

31

52

52

40

32

31

33

35

Russia

75

28

36

25

19

41

58

5

Netherlands

6

42

10

16

4

2

11

16

Poland

23

40

24

12

13

28

37

30

Albania

88

82

59

-

95

86

62

80

United Kingdom

9

8

7

9

8

5

4

2

Slovak Republic

53

45

48

34

21

23

26

34

Cyprus

45

54

18

-

39

38

31

41

Denmark

8

4

1

9

53

3

1

32

Slovenia

35

37

23

-

40

34

18

67

Greece

42

79

42

38

38

33

25

28

Estonia

36

18

3

30

25

14

30

3

Switzerland

13

36

16

20

1

1

3

42

Italy

19

58

37

14

11

29

20

20

Finland

10

20

4

18

28

7

7

22

Bulgaria

52

61

44

37

43

46

41

77

Malta

69

88

22

-

59

48

23

49

Iceland

40

26

12

-

79

32

17

58

Croatia

49

51

39

53

33

25

34

33

Portugal

23

39

35

33

22

40

27

14

Latvia

70

19

49

32

62

39

36

15

North Macedonia

81

17

72

-

51

52

43

38

Spain

17

30

17

3

37

24

14

4

Lithuania

54

11

20

17

31

27

35

6

DEFINITIONS
Logistics Performance Index (LPI): LPI
measures performance along the logistics
supply chain within a country.
Ease of Doing Business Index: A highEase of Doing Business ranking means theregulatory environment is more conduciveto the starting and operation of a local firm.

E-Government Development Index:
The E-government Development Index
measures the willingness and capacity ofnational administrations to use informationand communication technologies in orderto deliver public services.
Inclusive Internet Index: Benchmark
based on internet availability, affordability,
relevance and the readiness of people touse it.

Universal Postal Union Reliability Score:
Comparative indicator of postal development around the world, based on reliablitiy,reach, relevance and resilience.
UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index
Ranking: This index measures an
economy’s preparedness to support online
shopping.

SOURCES: WORLDBANK; UNITED NATIONS; THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT; UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION; YALE; INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

6

Environmental Performance Index: This
index provides a data-driven summaryof the state of sustainability using 32
performance indicators across 11 issue
categories, the EPI ranks countries onenvironmental health and ecosystemvitality.

Global Cybersecurity Index: This
index maps questions on Member Statecybersecurity committments across fivepillars: legal measures; technical measures;organizational measures; capacity
development measures; cooperation
measures.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEWEUROPE

LIGHT VERSION

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEWEUROPEThe e-commerce overview section of the report includes datafrom 37 countries on the European continent, showcasing
the importance of the EU-27 and 10 neighboring digital
economies. Throughout Europe, e-commerce use is on therise, as the number and share of e-shoppers increases every
year. The largest jump in e-shoppers can be seen in 2020,
due in part to the Covid-19 pandemic pushing consumers
to online shopping. All 37 countries experienced increasesin B2C e-commerce turnover, as well as E-GDP (the shareof GDP made up by e-commerce). Turnover growth rates
for Europe have remained consistently in the double-digits
and are expected to continue an upward trajectory for theforeseeable future.

E-SHOPPERS, EUROPE

60%

64%

66%

E-GDP, EUROPE
73%

71%

4.29%
3.93%
3.53%

COUNTRIES INCLUDED:
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
CyprusCzech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
FinlandFranceGermany
GreeceHungary
Iceland
IrelandItaly
LatviaLithuania
7

Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Netherlands
North Macedonia
NorwayPolandPortugal
Romania
RussiaSerbiaSlovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
SwedenSwitzerland
UkraineUnited Kingdom

4.60%

3.11%
2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT; NATIONAL E-COMMERCE ASSOCIATIONS; PARTNERS;STATISTA; UNITED NATIONS

2017

2018

SOURCE: CMI ANALYSISThis is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

2019

2020

2021 (F)EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEWBY REGION

LIGHT VERSION

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEWBY REGION

As with previous years, in 2020 Western Europe boasts thehighest share of total European e-commerce turnover for2020 with 64%. Following far behind, Southern Europe holds
16% of total turnover. However, in terms of growth, Eastern
Europe shined in 2020 with a rate of 36%, while Western
Europe’s growth rate remained moderate at 4%. Central
and Southern Europe saw similar growth rates in 2020,
28% and 24% respectively. It’s likely that Eastern Europe’s
lag compared other European regions in B2C e-commerce
turnover is due to low e-shopper penetration (41%), whichis less than half of Western Europe’s e-shopper penetration(86%).

INTERNET USERS BY REGION, 2020
Western Europe

95%

Western Europe

86%

Northern Europe

96%

Northern Europe

82%

Central Europe

Eastern Europe

SHARE OF TOTAL EUROPEAN
E-COMMERCE TURNOVERBY REGION, 2020

E-SHOPPERS BY REGION, 2020

88%

77%

Southern Europe
SOURCE: EUROSTAT; STATISTASouthern:
16%85%Central Europe

Eastern Europe

75%

41%

Southern Europe

60%

SOURCE: EUROSTAT; STATISTA

E-GDP 2020

GR = B2C E-COMMERCE TURNOVER GROWTH RATE, 2020
Eastern:
6%
Central:8%
Northern:6%

Western:64%

This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Central Europe

Southern Europe8

GR: 4%

3.48%

Northern Europe

Eastern Europe

SOURCE: CMI ANALYSIS

5.19%

Western Europe

SOURCE: CMI ANALYSIS

GR: 3%

3.00%

GR: 28%2.53%

GR: 36%

3.73%

GR: 24%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEW

BY COUNTRY

LIGHT VERSION

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEW
BY COUNTRY

E-SHOPPERSPER COUNTRY,
2020

SOURCE: EUROSTAT;STATISTA ; NATIONAL
E-COMMERCE ASSOCIATIONS; PARTNERS;UNITED NATIONS

9United Kingdom
Netherlands
Denmark
Switzerland
Germany
NorwaySwedenIceland
Ireland
Luxembourg
Czech Republic
Belgium
FranceFinland
Estonia
Austria
PolandSlovenia
Malta
Hungary
Croatia
Slovak Republic
Spain
Lithuania
LatviaGreecePortugal
Italy
CyprusSerbiaRomania
RussiaBulgaria
North Macedonia
UkraineAlbania
Moldova

92%
91%
90%
90%
87%
87%
86%
83%
81%
80%
80%
79%
78%
78%
76%
74%
72%
72%
72%
70%
69%
68%
67%
64%
63%
59%
56%
54%
52%
48%
45%
43%
42%
40%
40%
37%
34%

This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

B2C
E-COMMERCEGROWTHRATE BY
COUNTRY,
2020

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEWGreece77%

Moldova

49%

Russia41%

E-GDP BY
COUNTRY,
2020

United Kingdom

9.92%

Denmark

7.29%

Estonia

6.78%

37%

Greece6.65%

North Macedonia

37%

Czech Republic

5.71%

Sweden36%

Spain

Hungary

35%

France

4.79%

Poland34%

Poland4.67%

Albania

33%

Portugal

Croatia32%

Romania

5.63%

3.90%
3.51%

Romania30%

Netherlands

Spain

29%

North Macedonia

3.16%

Latvia27%

Germany

3.08%

Czech Republic

26%

NorwayCyprus25%

Russia2.57%

Portugal

23%

Ireland

2.44%

3.45%

2.43%

2.57%

Finland22%

Finland

Slovak Republic

22%

Sweden2.42%

Ukraine22%

Hungary

2.33%

Malta

22%

Austria

2.30%

Slovenia

21%

Ukraine

2.05%

Luxembourg

21%

Bulgaria

2.00%

Iceland20%
18%

Serbia

12%

Italy

1.99%

Belgium

1.96%

Switzerland

1.88%
1.84%

Bulgaria

9%

Lithuania

France9%

Iceland

Belgium

7%

Albania

1.38%

Ireland7%

Croatia

1.28%

Austria

7%

Cyprus1.24%

6%

Slovak Republic

1.09%

Denmark

10

LIGHT VERSION

Switzerland

Lithuania

SOURCE: CMI ANALYSISBY COUNTRY

1.84%

Italy

3%

Serbia1.08%

Netherlands

3%

Latvia1.03%

United Kingdom

2%

Slovenia

1.01%

Germany

2%

Luxembourg

0.94%

Estonia1%

Moldova

0.88%

Malta

0.79%

Norway -31%

SOURCE: CMI ANALYSIS;IMFEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEW

LIGHT VERSIONFREQUENCY OF ONLINE PURCHASES IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, 2020
n 1 or 2 times
00% Leadersn 3 to 5 times

n 6 times or more

28%

Belgium
8%

11%

19%

Germany

18%
17%

26%

19%

Luxembourg

Netherlands

25%
28%
29%

Czechia25%

Hungary

13%

United Kingdom

47%
22%

Denmark

27%
26%

25%

Italy

Poland

18%
21%
16%

Malta

Slovakia

18%

9%

Iceland

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

11

9%

11%

18%

13%

13%
14%
19%
15%
15%
16%
6%

11%

15%
21%

37%

Bulgaria

2%

7%

EU-27
14%

Croatia

19%
19%

27%

14%
16%
14%
24%

Spain

13%
15%

7%

30%

21%

LatviaPortugal

12%

Slovenia

25%

16%

13%

Greece

26%

19%

20%

Finland

5%

22%

19%
22%
22%

Estonia

20%

18%

SerbiaCyprus

23%
23%

13%

14%
10%

2%

28%

16%

20%

5%

Romania29%
25%

Austria

24%
27%

2%

20%

Sweden19%

North Macedonia

20%
23%

Norway28%
32%

Ireland20%
18%

Lithuania

24%

17%
16%
20%
21%
18%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

E-COMMERCE OVERVIEW

LIGHT VERSIONONLINE PURCHASING NATIONALLY AND CROSS-BORDER, THREE MONTHS, 2020
n From national sellers n From sellers from other EU countries n From sellers of the rest of the world (non-EU countries
n From sellers from unknown countries n From sellers from other countries (EU or non-EU)
00% Leaders

Belgium

5%

Ireland

Norway
36%

3%

10%

4%

5%

LatviaSOURCE: EUROSTAT

12

15%

6%

Hungary
80%

Poland

43%

26%

7%

Bulgaria
51%

28%

Croatia

8%

67%
39%
39%

15%
11%
11%
18%

Malta

41%

Portugal

Spain

6%

EU-27
49%

6%

90%

36%
32%
46%

77%

38%

89%

39%
48%

13%

41%

72%

78%

22%

2%

63%

41%

20%

90%

35%

28%

28%

84%

51%

21%

92%

21%
27%

44%

75%
59%

3%

14%

66%
60%
79%

86%

36%

18%

50%

11%

Italy

2%

1%

26%

94%

76%

44%

20%

Greece

46%

89%

46%

89%
23%

6%
2%
2%
1%
3%

85%

40%

48%

Slovenia

0%

31%

9%
7%
4%
13%

Slovakia

12%
13%

Cyprus

88%

42%

19%

97%

10%

85%

23%

10%

38%

Albania*

72%

95%

29%

3%

Czechia

27%
22%

3%

Iceland

77%

32%
29%

5%

74%
68%

19%
18%

84%

26%
25%

Serbia36%

Austria29%

36%

Finland

6%

4%
2%

91%

28%

16%

65%

United Kingdom

Estonia

41%

67%

51%

35%

Romania

19%

4%
5%
1%
8%

83%

32%

20%

4%

37%

3%

North Macedonia
46%

Sweden42%

Denmark

0%

94%

25%
23%

89%

31%
29%

59%

27%
22%
21%

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Lithuania

68%

France*Germany

82%

65%

16%

21%

90%

30%
39%

68%

63%

*Figures from 2019

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

MARKET OVERVIEW

EU-27

LIGHT VERSION

MARKET OVERVIEW
EU-27

In 2020, the once 28-country European Union became theEU-27, as the United Kingdom finalized its long-discussed
exit. Although the UK has always been an economic
powerhouse within the Union’s e-commerce landscape,
growth and progress in the remaining European countries’
digital markets have not stalled. In fact, 89% of the EU-27’s
population accessed the internet, and 73% shopped online(up from 68% in 2019).

EU-27 MEMBER COUNTRIESAustria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
CyprusCzechia
Denmark
Estonia
FinlandFranceGermany
GreeceHungary
IrelandItaly
LatviaLithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
PolandPortugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
SwedenINTERNET USERS IN EU-27 COUNTRIESPercentage of the population accessing the internet

83%

2017
SOURCE: EUROSTAT

13

85%

2018

87%

2019

89%

2020

E-SHOPPERS IN EU-27 COUNTRIESPercentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

91%

2021 (F)

75%

73%
65%

66%

2017

2018

68%

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCES: EUROSTAT; NATIONAL E-COMMERCE ASSOCIATIONS; STATISTAEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

MARKET OVERVIEW

EU-27

LIGHT VERSION

GDP AND E-GDP OF EU-27 (EUR, BN)
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce salesn GDP n E-GDP

This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

2017

2.53%

€12,183

2018

2.84%

€12,451

2019

3.26%

€12,602

2020

3.62%

€12,7882021 (F)

3.99%€12,987

SOURCE: IMF; CMI ANALYSISPRODUCT CATEGORY
PURCHASING IN
EU-27 COUNTRIES(LAST 3 MONTHS)

SOURCE: EUROSTAT, 2020

14

Any physical goods

98%

Clothes (incl. sport clothing), shoes or accessories

63%

Films or series as a streaming service or downloads

31%

Furniture, home accessories or gardening products

29%

Deliveries from restaurants, fast-food chains, catering services

28%

Printed books, magazines or newspapers

27%

Computers, tablets, mobile phones or accessories

26%

Cosmetics, beauty or wellness products

26%Music as a streaming service or downloads

25%

Medicine or dietary supplements such as vitamins

23%

Sports goods (excl. sport clothing)

21%

Food or beverages from stores or from meal-kits providers

19%

Consumer electronics or household appliances

18%

Other physical goods

18%Children toys or childcare items

17%

Games online or as downloads for smartphones, tablets, computers or consoles

17%

Cleaning products or personal hygiene products

16%

E-books, online-magazines or online-newspapers

14%

Bicycles, mopeds, cars, or other vehicles or their spare parts

10%

Films or series as DVDs, Blu-ray, etc.

8%Music as CDs, vinyls, etc.

7%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CROSS-BORDER
PURCHASING IN
EU-27 COUNTRIES(LAST 3 MONTHS)

MARKET OVERVIEW

EU-27

LIGHT VERSION

88%

40%
31%
22%
8%
From national sellers

From sellers fromother EU countries

SOURCE: EUROSTAT, 2020

ENTERPRISE DATA IN
EU-27 COUNTRIESFrom sellers of therest of the world(non-EU countries)

From sellers fromunknown countries

From sellers fromother countries(EU or non-EU)

20%Enterprises with e-commerce sales

43%Enterprise e-commerce activitiesn EU-27 SMEs
(10-249 persons employed)n EU-27 Large Enterprises(250+ persons employed)

Enterprises using service robots

Enterprises with a chat service where a chatbot or virtual agent replies to customers

Enterprises use one AI system

15

28%
14%

Enterprises with B2C web sales

Enterprises analysing big data internally using machine learning

SOURCE: EUROSTAT, 2020

17%

Enterprises with web sales (via websites, apps or marketplaces)

19%
2%
11%
2%
11%
2%
6%
6%
17%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CASE STUDY

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPEAN WEBSHOPS:
AN ANALYSIS OF THE EU-27
Note to reader: the terms “webshop” and “e-store” are used interchangeably throughout this case study.

This year, the European E-commerce
Report includes an extensive webshop
content analysis surrounding the features,
particularities, and growth of leading
European webshops across the EU-27. Morespecifically, we measured the relationshipbetween the features of e-stores, including
contact options, social media, mobile
apps, review systems, delivery options,and corporate social responsibility, with
their characteristics, including size, sector,
international orientation, region, and type oforganization. Additionally, we show how web
traffic has developed throughout 2020 and
2021, and how the traffic of various typesof e-stores evolved in the EU-27 during the
COVID-19 pandemic. The following casestudy showcases figures from the webshop
content analysis, highlighting relevant insights
for retailers, policymakers, and e-commerce
stakeholders.

Contact options

Currently, European webshops offer an average of 3.3
options for consumers to contact them. Phone, e-mail,and online contact forms are the most frequently provided
contact options within the EU-27. Surprisingly, having a chatoption (live or chatbot) is also very popular among leading
European e-stores, as almost half offer a chat option on theirwebsite. Some contact options are more popular amongcertain types of webshops than others; for example, e-stores
located in Northern Europe are more likely to have a chatoption (58%) and less likely to have a contact form (48%),
when compared with e-stores in other European regions.
Chat options are less popular among webshops in the sectors
books, music, films & video games (31%), and groceries (36%),

USE OF CONTACTOPTIONS OFFEREDAMONG WEBSHOPSIN THE EU-27
IN 2021, IN %Social media use

Almost all European webshops display their social media
channels on their website (93%). On average, e-storespresent 3.2 social media sites on their website. Among all
EU-27 online stores, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are
the most popular social media channels. Less frequently
used social media platforms are Tumblr, Snapchat and
TikTok. Interestingly, e-stores with over 200 million visitors

Phone

90%

E-mail

74%

Contact form

66%

Chat

Instant messaging/VOIP

SOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS

16

versus the sectors pharmacy, personal care & hygiene (55%),
and fashion, shoes & accessories (54%). Another important
contact option, instant messaging/VOIP, is most popularamong e-stores in fashion, shoes & accessories (18%), andleast popular among e-stores in books, music, films & video
games (7%).

Fax

47%

11%

8%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CASE STUDY

per year are less likely to display their social media accounts
on the website (78%) compared to smaller e-stores (94%).
Compared to other regions in the EU-27, results show thatwebshops from Northern Europe have fewer Pinterest(8%), YouTube (55%) and Instagram (69%) accounts on theirwebsite. Additionally, Twitter is much more popular amonge-stores in Western Europe (71%) and Southern Europe(53%), compared to Northern Europe (24%) and Eastern
Europe (26%).

LIGHT VERSIONUSE OF SOCIAL
MEDIA CHANNELSAMONG WEBSHOPSIN THE EU-27 IN
2021, IN %77%

Instagram
66%

YouTube42%

Twitter

Focusing on different types of retailers, multi-channel
players with physical stores make use of Instagram (81%)
and YouTube (72%) more often than pure-players with nophysical presence (67% and 52%, respectively). However,marketplaces make use of Twitter (54%) and Pinterest (30%)
more frequently than retailers (39% and 18%, respectively).
Yet retailers find YouTube a more appealing option (69%)
than marketplaces (54%).
Within the different EU-27 retail sectors, there is significant
variation in the use of social media. Twitter is mostfrequently used by webshops in the sector, books, music,
films & video games (57%), and least often in home & garden(28%). Instagram is least popular among retailers in generalmerchandise (62%), bicycles & (car) accessories (64%), andelectronics & accessories (69%). Additionally, bicycles &(car) accessories retailers rarely display a LinkedIn accounton their e-store (5%). The same holds true for electronics& accessories retailers regarding the use of Pinterest (4%).
Finally, retailers in fashion, shoes & accessories mostfrequently use Pinterest (37%) and TikTok (6%).

93%Facebook

Pinterets

20%

LinkedIn19%

Tik Tok2%

Snapchat

1%

Tumblr 0%

SOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTSUSE OF MOBILE APPS BY WEBSHOP SIZE (NUMBER OF VISITORS)IN THE EU-27 IN 2021, IN %

93%
82%

Mobile app use

To date, almost half (47%) of all leading webshops in the EU
have a mobile app. More precisely, 46% have an Android
app, 45% an Apple app, and 1% a Huawei app. The higher
the annual number of visitors to an e-store, the more likelythat it has one or more mobile apps.
There are noticeable differences among retail sectors withregard to the use of mobile apps. Mobile app penetration
is highest among e-stores in the sector groceries, (alcoholic)beverages & pet supplies (72%), and lowest among
webshops selling bicycles & (car) accessories (21%). Among
marketplaces and international webshops, mobile app
usage is higher (75% and 60%, respectively), particularly
when compared to retailers (40%) and domestic players(29%).

17

59%

57%

10M
to 25M

25M
to 50M

43%
30%

12%

14%

Less than
500,000

500,000
to 2M

2M
to 5M

SOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS; SIMILARWEB

5M
to 10M

50M
to 200M

200M
or moreEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CASE STUDY

LIGHT VERSIONUSE OF MOBILEAPPS AMONGWEBSHOPS BY
SECTOR IN THE
EU-27 IN 2021, IN %Finally, the analysis revealed regional differences of mobile
app usage among e-stores. Webshops within Western andCentral Europe have higher mobile app usage (62% and54%, respectively), while Northern European webshops are
significantly lower, with only 31%.

Customer Review Use

Customer reviews are, for many webshops, an importantsource of feedback, a trust enhancing mechanism, and asource of information for (potential) customers. Within theEU, 59% of e-stores offer customers the opportunity to write
product reviews, and 23% provide consumers the option toreview the company itself. Results show that the larger thewebshop, the higher the chance that it has a product review
feature on the website.

65%

Fashion, shoes & accessories

62%

General merchandise
55%
43%

Books, music, films & video games
34%

Electronics & accessories

31%

Sporting goods, toys & hobbies
Home & garden

SOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTSUSE OF PRODUCT REVIEW SYSTEMS BY SIZE OF WEBSHOPS(NUMBER OF VISITORS) IN THE EU-27 IN 2021, IN %

89%

79%
65%

72%

Pharmacy, personal care & hygiene

Webshop size is not the foremost predictor for use ofcompany review tools, apart from the smallest and largest
webshops. E-stores with less than 500,000 web visitors
per year (12%) and 200 million visitors per year (7%) areconsiderably less likely to have a company review systemon their website. There are also considerable differencesamong product sectors regarding the use of company and62%

Groceries, (alcoholic)beverages & pet supplies

28%

Bicycles & (car) accessories

21%

USE OF PRODUCT AND COMPANY REVIEW SYSTEMS AMONGWEBSHOPS BY SECTOR IN THE EU-27 IN 2021, IN %n Product review system n Company review system
Pharmacy, personal care & hygiene

70%Sporting goods, toys & hobbies

44%

Electronics & accessories

54%

34%

Books, music, films & video games
General merchandiseHome & garden
Fashion, shoes & accessories

Less than
500,000

500,000
to 2M

2M
to 5M

5M
to 10M

SOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS; SIMILARWEB

18

10M
to 25M

25M
to 50M

50M
to 200M

200M
or moreGroceries, (alcoholic) beverages & pet supplies
SOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS

60%
70%

31%

Bicycles & (car) accessories
30%

74%

36%

62%

38%

82%

16%
62%

14%
54%

20%
42%

14%
14%

35%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CASE STUDY

product review systems. For example, company review
systems are most frequently used by e-stores in the sectorof sporting goods, toys & hobbies (44%), and less frequently
by e-stores in fashion, shoes & accessories (14%). However,product review systems are most likely to be utilized among
books, music, films & video games retailers (82%) and lesslikely among groceries, (alcoholic) beverages & pet supplies
retailers (35%).

LIGHT VERSIONUSE OF DELIVERYOPTIONS AMONGWEBSHOPS BY SECTOR
IN THE EU-27 IN 2021,
IN %

63%

Sporting goods, toys & hobbies

60%

Books, music, films & video games

Marketplaces (72%) and international webshops (64%) are
more likely to offer product reviews to customers thanretailers (56%) and domestic players (53%). Finally, company
review systems are more popular among pure players (35%)
than among multi-channel retailers (18%) within the EU-27.

General merchandise

Focusing on retail sectors, results show that the option tocollect online orders in-store/outlet is lowest among e-stores
selling in the category of fashion, shoes & accessories(37%), and highest among e-stores selling in electronics &accessories, and books, music, films & video games (both at76%). Webshops selling general merchandise are most likely
to offer pick-up points as a delivery method, while webshops
in groceries, (alcoholic) beverages & pet supplies are least
likely to do so. Results further indicate that pick-up point
usage is highest among e-stores targeting Northern Europe(73%) and lowest among e-stores that focus on Southern
Europe (36%).
Regarding delivery times and the option to choose thedate of/time of delivery, results show that the majority ofwebshops in the EU-27 (68%) do not offer next-day delivery
to their customers, and the proportion of webshops thatoffer weekend, same-day or a customized delivery time iseven smaller. However, the differences between regions andwebshop type are large. For example, in Western Europe theshare of e-stores that offer customized delivery time (31%),

19

45%

Fashion, shoes & accessories
31%

68%
61%

58%

37%

Groceries, (alcoholic)beverages & pet supplies

The availability of the four abovementioned delivery
options (same-day, next-day, customized time, weekend)
is significantly higher among the largest webshops in the
EU-27 as compared to smaller webshops. For instance, ofthe e-stores with more than 200 million visitors per year,
70% offer next-day delivery, and 56% same-day delivery, as
compared to 21% and 3% of e-stores with less than 500,000
visitors per year. Finally, marketplaces are more likely to offer
same-day (19%) and next-day delivery (42%) than retailers(11% versus 30%).

71%

40%

Bicycles & (car) accessories

next-day (45%), and weekend delivery (35%) is considerably
higher than in other European regions.

76%

51%

Home & garden

SOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS

74%

55%

Electronics & accessories

Delivery options and times

In the past decade, the number of delivery options offeredby webshops has steadily increased, particularly in Europe.
Apart from home delivery, 61% of e-stores in the EU-27
already offer the possibility of picking up an online orderin their store(s)/outlet(s), and 56% of e-stores now offer
the option of delivering orders to logistics service provider
pick-up points. The use of pick-up points is highest among
webshops with 200+ million visitors per year (89%), followed
by webshops with 50 to 200 million visitors (76%), and lowest
among webshops with less than 500,000 visitors (27%).

76%

58%

Pharmacy, personal care & hygienen Pick-up pointn Collect in store/outlet

73%

44%

USE OF DELIVERY TIME OPTIONSAMONG WEBSHOPS IN THE EU-27
IN 2021, IN %
32%

22%

21%
13%

Corporate social responsibility

Interviews with the national e-commerce associations forthis year’s report have revealed how important sustainability
is for consumers, retailers, policymakers, and logistics
providers. The IPCC report has reaffirmed the importance of
this topic; within the European e-commerce sector, countless
innovations have been developed and significant steps
taken to reduce the ecological footprint of online retailers.

Next daydelivery

Customers
can choose
the delivery
date/time

SOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS

WeekenddeliverySame daydeliveryCASE STUDYDISPLAY OF CSR INFORMATION BY SIZE OF WEBSHOPS (IN NUMBER OF VISITORS)IN THE EU-27 IN 2021, IN %70%

To date, about 34% of webshops in the EU make a clear
reference on their website to their corporate social
responsibility (CSR) efforts. Note that CSR not only includes
sustainability endeavors, but also other contributions tosociety, such as their efforts regarding fair trade, anti-slavery,anti-poverty, and supporting local communities. The larger
the e-store (in terms of web traffic), the higher the likelihoodof disclosing information on the website about their CSR
goals. Looking at different product sectors, results show thatwebshops disclosing CSR information are highest among
webshops selling in groceries, (alcoholic) beverages & pet
supplies (50%), and lowest among those in bicycles & (car)accessories (13%).

20

16%

Less than
500,000

500,000
to 2M

2M
to 5M

5M
to 10M

10M
to 25M

25M
to 50M

50M
to 200M

200M
or moreSOURCE: CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS, SIMILARWEBAVERAGE WEB TRAFFIC GROWTH PER MONTH IN THE EU-27 COMPARED TO THE SAMEMONTH IN PRE-COVID YEAR 2019, IN %
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%

SOURCE: SIMILARWEB, CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS

06/202105/202104/2021

03/2021

02/2021

01/2021

12/2020

11/2020

10/2020

09/2020

08/2020-5%

07/2020

0%06/2020

In 2020, leading webshops in the EU-27 witnessed an increaseof 13% in web visitors as compared to 2019. In the first six
months of 2021, web traffic grew with 8% as compared to thesame period in 2020, and with 18% compared to the same
period in pre-COVID 2019. These average growth figures do

16%

05/2020

The years 2020 and 2021 have been exceptional due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, particularly regarding e-commercein the EU-27. Alongside the stringent (economic) measurestaken to mitigate the spread of the virus, lockdowns(including closures of physical stores), and health/safetymeasures gave a boost to online shopping across Europe.
Using web traffic data from SimilarWeb throughout theperiod of January 2019 until June 2021, we aimed to provide
relevant insights into the growth of visitors to European
webshops. Although there is a (strong) correlation between
increased web traffic and higher sales, the results of thiscase study provide no direct insights into the financial
performance of e-stores.

36%

23%

04/2020Growth of webshop traffic

36%
31%

03/2020

Marketplaces (46%) and international companies (41%)
are more likely to display their CSR efforts than retailers(31%) and domestic players (23%). Finally, among e-storestargeting Western European countries, the share that display
information about their CSR activities is significantly higher(50%) than among e-stores from other regions in Europe.
However, it should be noted that differences between
individual countries are large, including the countries within
Western Europe.

59%

02/2020

However, we ask: to what extent do e-stores in the EU-27
share their efforts to be(come) sustainable and responsibleorganizations with their (potential) customers?

LIGHT VERSION

01/2020EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CASE STUDY

21

25%
24%

Electronics & accessories
21%
14%

Fashion, shoes & accessories
Eindtotaal

13%

Sporting goods, toys & hobbies

13%

General merchandise
SOURCE: SIMILARWEB,CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS

Bicycles & (car) accessories

9%-2%

AVERAGE WEB TRAFFIC GROWTH OF WEBSHOPS PER MONTH BY SECTOR IN THE EU-27
IN 2020 COMPARED TO THE SAME MONTH IN PRE-COVID YEAR 2019, IN %
Bicycles & (car) accessories

Groceries, (alcoholic) beverages & pet supplies

Home & garden

60%
45%
30%
15%
0%

SOURCE: SIMILARWEB, CENTRE FOR MARKET INSIGHTS

06/202105/202104/2021

03/2021

02/2021

01/2021

12/2020

11/2020

10/2020

09/2020

08/2020-30%

07/2020-15%

06/2020

Alongside sector, several characteristics affected a webshop’s
increased web traffic growth in 2020. For example, retailers
experienced a stronger increase in web traffic thanmarketplaces (+22% vs. +10%). And multi-channel players,of which many were confronted with forced store closures,

27%

Books, music, films & video games

05/2020

These examples reveal that for many retail sectors there isa strong and causal relationship between web traffic growthand COVID-19 measures taken by national governments.

30%

Home & garden

04/2020Three sectors displayed the largest increase in online
traffic between March and April of 2020, namely groceries,(alcoholic) beverages and pet supplies. This increase is likely
due to current and future uncertainty of the availabilityof basic necessities during the first round of stringent
government measures. Web traffic amongst home & garden
e-stores peaked in May 2020 when consumers, bound totheir homes, appeared to opt for home improvements andenhanced working-from-home spaces. Smaller peaks in
web traffic can also be observed in early 2021, when many
European countries were in lockdown. The strong decreasein non-essential travel during the first lockdowns in 2020
resulted in a decline of web traffic for e-stores selling bicycles& (car) accessories.

Groceries, (alcoholic)beverages & pet supplies

Pharmacy, personal care & hygiene

03/2020

The nature of webshops (i.e., sector, type, etc.) largely
determines the extent to which they profited from theincrease in online shopping due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, e-stores in the sectors of groceries, (alcoholic)beverages & pet supplies, as well as home & garden,
witnessed the largest annual average increase in web
traffic. On the contrary, webshops selling in bicycles & (car)accessories experienced a decline in the number of visitors
to their website in 2020. To reiterate, these annual growth
figures do not reflect the large fluctuations in web traffic due
to COVID-19 measures over time, however, these figuresoffer insights into overall e-commerce market trends.

AVERAGE WEB
TRAFFIC GROWTH
OF WEBSHOPS IN
THE EU-27 IN 2020
COMPARED TO
PRE-COVID YEAR
2019, IN %02/2020

not reflect the volatile nature of online shopping in 2020 and
2021, which becomes clearer when looking at the growth
figures per month. In March 2020, many governments
across Europe took (the first) stringent measures to containthe spread of COVID-19. In this month, average web traffic
declined, likely due to uncertainty among consumers about
the new virus and the government responses. Limited accessto physical stores, due to lockdowns and safety measures,gave a significant boost to e-store traffic from April 2020 and
onwards.

LIGHT VERSION

01/2020EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CASE STUDY

had a stronger web traffic growth than pure players (+20%
vs. +8%). Domestic e-stores witnessed a sharper increasein the number of visitors to their website as compared tointernational players (+18% vs. +12%). Additionally, thesmallest webshops with less than 2 million visitors per
year experienced a stronger increase in web traffic whencompared to the largest webshops with over 200 million
visitors per year (+31% vs. +9%).
Regional differences were also present in the content
analysis. E-stores in Northern and Eastern Europe witnessedlarger web traffic increases in 2020 than e-stores in other
European regions. Suffice it to say, the differences in web
traffic development between countries can be quite high,even within the same region.

LIGHT VERSION

Summary

To conclude, this case study presented the features and particularities found among leading EU-27 webshops. Morespecifically, the analysis included website options for consumers, as well as web traffic growth throughout the COVID-19
pandemic. This deep-dive content analysis aims towards helping retailers, policymakers, and logistics providers by offering
insights into current e-store trends.
Extensive use of marketing and communication channels, such as social media and mobile apps, prove that EU webshops
are advanced and ready to continue adapting to the EU consumer. However, it is apparent that e-stores have opportunities
to expand their delivery options, as a large majority do not yet offer same-day or next-day delivery.
In the increasingly important area of corporate social responsibility, most webshops do not yet share information about
their efforts via the website. Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, results show that measures taken by national governments
to contain the virus have had a significant effect on the growth of web traffic to European e-stores, both in 2020 and 2021.
However, penetration levels and traffic growth vary significantly among different types of webshops, particularly amongsmaller and larger webshops, and those operating in different product sectors.
More trends and figures from our content analysis on the leading webshops in Europe can be found online via ourinteractive dashboard, which includes country-level figures and correlations between web traffic growth and COVID-19
measures. This dashboard will be available from October 2021, and can be accessed via the following link or QR code:www.cmihva.link/EUdashboard21

About the research

For this report, the Centre for Market Insights (CMI) of the Amsterdam
University of Applied Sciences gathered a dataset of over 1,000 leading
webshops in Europe. The dataset includes 30 leading webshops for eachof the 37 countries covered in this report. These lists of e-stores per
country have been developed with input from the national e-commerce
associations.
To produce aggregated figures for Europe, we ensured that each country
list contained sufficient variety in terms of webshop type, such as sector
and/or international orientation. For this reason, we replaced larger
webshops with smaller ones where necessary. Nevertheless, one canbe assured that at least the 20 to 25 largest e-stores in each country areincluded in the dataset.
For this specific case study, we used a subset of dataset containing all 810
webshop targeting the 27 countries of the European Union (EU-27). Dataon the characteristics (e.g., sector and type) and features (e.g., contact anddelivery options) of webshops have been collected via a website content
analysis, executed by three trained coders of the CMI that manuallyinspected all 1,110 websites in the dataset. The (estimated) web traffic
data used in this analysis is from SimilarWeb and covers the period ofJanuary 2019 to June 2021.

22

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

LIGHT VERSIONWESTERN EUROPE
INTERNET USERS

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

91%

2017
SOURCE: EUROSTAT

92%

2018

94%

95%

96%

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
87%

86%

2019

2020

2021 (F)

81%

81%

2017

2018

83%

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTATGDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce salesn GDP n E-GDP
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

2017

4.17%

€9,039

2018

4.68%

€9,114

2019

5.04%

€9,288

2020

5.19%

€9,3672021 (F)

5.48%€9,577

SOURCE: IMF; CMI ANALYSIS

23

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

BELGIUM

LIGHT VERSIONBELGIUM
CHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

Growth Rate
9.20%
1.54%

1.76%

1.68%

89%
86%

2015

90%

1.62%
91%

92%

2017

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

11.41%

6.05%
1.20%

3.35%

1.68%

93%

n GDP n E-GDP
2.48%

79%

80%

72%

87%

2016

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

2.89%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

64%

65%

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

67%

67%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2015 1.97%

€418

2016

2.14%

€424

2017

1.35%

€431

2018 1.60%€438

2019 1.85%€443

2020 1.96%

€449

2.12%

€456

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 2%
Pinterest: 27%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 61%

Twitter: 6%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

24

VAT: 21%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

BELGIUM

LIGHT VERSIONBELGIUM

SafeShops.be

INTERVIEW

Greet Dekocker
SafeShops
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
We saw 12% of consumers that had never shopped online
before, make a purchase online. Older folks, 60+, they had tobecause in the first lockdown everything was closed and in thesecond lockdown, only essential shops were open. Food, DIY,
pharma and toys did well in Q1 2020, while ticketing, eventsand services saw significant drops. When looking at Belgium
e-commerce figures, they seem contradictory, but they arenot; we saw a decrease in travel and ticketing, which are someof the most expensive product categories, but we saw anincrease in Belgian trade. Consumers discovered where andhow to shop, and e-commerce logistics improved during the
pandemic.
Regarding infrastructure: there are two aspects to food, classic
shopping (cold chain) and restaurants (warm chain). For
restaurants, it was more food pickup, but the problem we saw
with food was difficulty in transportation. DPD opened theirfood section to Belgium, which covers the fresh food circuit,allowing consumers to order fresh fruits, herbs and otherfresh meals or products. We also saw oversized transportation
adapting to needs during the pandemic.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard or did well during or due tothe lockdown?
Fashion, sports, medicine and home/garden did well. In the
beginning, fashion was slow, but eventually it took off. These
online sales didn’t compensate the loss of physical stores, butthey helped retailers remain afloat. During the lockdown, foodand groceries increased, as did electronics, hardware, leisureand entertainment.

25

Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creatinga stronger online presence?
We definitely had an increase. For comparison, if you look at2016 when we had 16k webshops, every year around 3-5k newwebshops popped up. Last year we had 20k new webshops
join, so it was huge. Most classic retailers were obliged in2020 to organize themselves and open a webshop, including
restaurants, salons, and little boutiques.

“Omnichannel challenges are alsopresent for Belgian retailers –managing a shop on a marketplace,managing a classic webshop, andmanaging a physical shop.”

What have some of the specific challenges/opportunities
been in the Belgian market for SMEs going online?
For many, logistics has been a challenge. Creating a digital
webshop is one thing, but logistics is an entirely different
beast. Suddenly your stock is interrupted via the webshop andit’s not organized properly with the shop inventory system.
For SMEs handling returns, these new business activities are
difficult to synchronize.

For consumers, sustainability is increasing on their priority list.
A consumer survey revealed that 48% believe sustainability is
an important element that determines whether a webshop
is “good” or “bad”. Consumers have said they feel retailers
should focus on working with sustainable and environmental
packaging, efficient packaging and shipping, and ensuring thatold products are recycled. Secondhand is also up-and-comingin the Belgian market.

The biggest challenge remains marketing for SMEs – they’re
not used to social media, marketing, analytics, or adwords.
Social media is one of the big things retailers in Belgium needto think about, digital marketing in general needs more focus.
Omnichannel challenges are also present for Belgian retailers– managing a shop on a marketplace, managing a classic
webshop, and managing a physical shop.

What, if anything, are retailers/consumers/policymakers
doing in regard to sustainability and e-commerce?
For the moment, it’s all about Covid. There have been several
initiatives to get traders online, but there was not a large focus
on sustainability within online shopping during the crisis.
Politically, there has been a push towards shopping locally,
promoting Belgian consumers to shop locally wheneverpossible rather than ordering from China. It is still premature
but we see traders starting to invest and transform towards
sustainable business, but there is still lot’s to do.

Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
If we ask consumers what their preferred payment method is,it’s PayPal, then Bancontact, then credit card – but many traders
do not offer PayPal because it’s an expensive payment method.
Many purchases are made via debit card or Bancontact, andthen credit cards. We noticed a 20% increase in contactless
payment, and QR codes are also popping up and being used
more in omnichannel shopping. We also saw the introductionof digital eco- and lunchpass as e-commerce payment method.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?

ADDITIONAL TOPICS
Has Brexit had any impact on the Belgian e-commercemarket?
Yes, we have seen the market impacted. We saw that
predominantly exports decreased, which lowered partly due
to the Covid pandemic, but also the idea to shop local is moreprevalent. We have also heard of complaints and difficulties
with stock and supply chain issues. That said, our leading
export countries for e-commerce are France, the Netherlands
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

BELGIUM

BELGIUM

SafeShops.be

INTERVIEW

and Germany, followed by the UK, so the impact will likely
lessen over time as we rely more firmly on these other markets.
What is the conversation around innovative technology in
e-commerce? (ex. AI, cryptocurrency, Blockchain, VR, etc.)
Bitcoin is one of the payment method possibilities offered
via PSPs, but it is still minor in Belgium. That could be due tothe lack of webshops offering these payment methods, but
overall, it is still minor. There are several stimulating courses
and talks around tech tools for webshops, like installing AIdriven chatbots, but it is a slow adaptation. It is something we
believe in, specifically because we think it will help webshops
organize themselves, particularly if they are operating in anomnichannel setting.

26

LIGHT VERSION“Bitcoin is one of the payment
method possibilities offered via PSPs,
but it is still minor in Belgium.”EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

BELGIUM

LIGHT VERSIONBELGIUM
INTERVIEW

Sofie Geeroms
BeCommerce
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Our results showed consumers discovered many moreproducts than pre-Covid. Products that were never ordered
online before, like swimming pools, BBQs and garden sets
started to be during the pandemic. We saw 200,000 new
consumers come into the e-commerce market, so an increaseof around 2%. So, there were several new consumers online
discovering new products during the pandemic. As for retailer
behavior, we know for sure that many retailers started a
website, started selling on a platform and/or started a new
webshop.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard from the lockdown?
The entire services sector fell because consumers were nolonger purchasing travel, nor going out to eat. We saw 1 billion
euros less spent on travel when compared to 2019. Other
sectors, like entertainment, zoos, concerts, museums, they
were all closed and experienced huge losses. Retailers who
experienced the most growth during this time were consumer
electronics, household appliances and computer accessories.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
For us it’s important that e-commerce be sustainable, andthere’s a negative perception that we have to deal withfrom policymakers and consumer federations thinking it isnegative – we have to work on that perception, that a van
carrying packages is more sustainable than several people
driving to shops. Our consumer panel surveys have proven27

that consumers are very concerned with sustainability in
e-commerce.
There are retailers who are mandated by law to take backhousehold appliances for recycling. There’s another initiative
being pushed by consumers, the secondhand market (circular
economy, sharing economy) is growing quickly. There’s
definitely a big market here for this and consumers are taking
part. From my perspective, I don’t think returns should befree – retailers and consumers have to start working together
on making clear agreements on who is paying for delivery
and return. Apart from the secondhand market, only a small
portion of consumers would be willing to pay for sustainability
options.

“Our consumer panel surveys have
proven that consumers are very
concerned with sustainability in
e-commerce.”

ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What have some of the challenges/opportunities been in
the Belgian market for SMEs going online?
The challenges in Belgium are definitely the lack of digitalskills/knowledge and lack of willingness to invest financially.
Opportunities are the fact that Belgium missed the first train
and had some delay, which means retailers here don’t haveto reinvent the wheel – there are so many platforms andexamples to learn from and take advantage of.
What do you think has made the leading retailers in
Belgium successful?
For six years now we have ranked webshops, and this is thethird year we are basing that on digital performance, because
we believe that digital performance is key to your success in themarket. If your webshop is not performing, pages are slow toload, etc., then consumers will go somewhere else. So, we are
big believers of digital performance as a key element in being
successful in the market. Digital performance encompasses
user experience and customer service, and this is even more
important for omnichannel retailers operating offline andonline. Creating synergies between your online and offline
shop are incredibly important.
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

FRANCE

LIGHT VERSIONFRANCECHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
2.47%
1.37%

1.49%

Growth Rate

91%
87%

2015

88%

2016

88%

2017

2.86%

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

3.29%

1.61%
0.03%

74%

2019

n GDP n E-GDP

5.20%

94%

93%

89%

2018

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

2.00%
1.50%

0.27%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

2015

75%

2016

76%

2017

SOURCE: EUROSTAT; FEVAD; STATISTA

77%

78%

2015

2.89%

€2,173

2.89%

2016

3.25%

€2,199

79%

2017

3.64%

€2,246

2018

4.06%

€2,280

2019

4.48%

€2,310

2020

4.79%

€2,3432021 (F)

5.19%€2,377

75%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 3%
Pinterest: 16%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 72%

Twitter: 6%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

28

VAT: 20%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

FRANCE

LIGHT VERSIONFRANCE
INTERVIEW

Marc Lolivier
FEVAD

COVID-19
How has Covid-19 impacted the French e-commercemarket?
Purchasing of goods online was steady and progressive andthen in 2020 it skyrocketed. Whereas the services sector had
extreme decreases in e-commerce. We witnessed the largest
growth in B2C e-commerce we’ve ever seen with over 29%
overall in 2020 and almost 41% growth in Q4 2020. Travel
services were hit hard in Q2 2020 with -75%, and an overall
2020 growth rate of -47%. In one year, we have seen the total
B2C e-commerce for online goods market growth we would
have normally only seen over 4 years in France.
In fact, e-commerce market share for consumer goods wentfrom 10% to 14% in one year, but that’s only consumer goods.
If you look at e-commerce (goods and services, 112 billion),then the total growth is 8.5% below 2019 growth at 11.5%.
The total shows that online goods growth almost offset online
services decline, which shows the resilience of the sector.
Usually, the reasons French consumers buy online is forpractical reasons, namely that consumers have more choice
and diversity of products. However, during Covid-19, it wasfor safety reasons and health protection. Even when shops
reopened, consumers seemed to avoid them due to potential
exposure to the virus. During the first lockdown, computers(IT) and cultural products were the most purchased products
online, while during the 2nd lockdown, consumers werepurchasing more furniture and home products. Meanwhile,throughout the year, health and beauty remained consistently
high, as well as online food (which was surprising as foodstores remained open). Nevertheless, online food, both pickup
and home delivery really boomed over the last 12 months, andnew habits were created.

29

During the first lockdown, at the beginning people wereshocked and Logistics were heavily impacted including halfof all post offices and all the pickup stores were closed. Thatsaid, after three weeks the market was able to cope with the
influx of online orders, and by the 2nd lockdown in November,companies were much more prepared for the situation(logistically) and people got more used to it.
The growth on mobile devices has slowed down during 2020 –we mistook this for consumers shopping from their computersat home, but it was the decrease in purchasing services onlinethat decreased mobile shopping.
Marketplaces experienced about the same growth as
e-commerce, approximately 30%. The main difference was at
the beginning of the first lockdown, you could see the difference
between marketplaces and the market – marketplaces
suffered a little more in the first lockdown because logistics
were less prepared, and the capacity was quite weak. This was
not the case during the 2nd lockdown – marketplaces showed
they were much more prepared and handled it much better.
Even after the lockdown(s), sales online have still been high,due largely to the fact that shopping in-store was still lessconvenient with masks, social distancing, and heightened riskof getting sick.
E-commerce has been a buffer for stores; though it did not
fully replace brick-and-mortar sales, it helped stores maintainsome activity, which was important for everyone (retailers,
consumers and the economy). Stores in France have said thate-commerce has saved them, because without e-commercethey would have had to close entirely. Throughout this difficult
time, e-commerce continues to fill the gaps for everyone.
We noticed a difference between pure players and high street
stores – growth was much higher for e-tailers than for pure
players – in two lockdowns, the online sales of stores went up
100%. After the lockdown, their online sales went down a bit,but still stayed high.

“E-commerce has been a buffer for
stores; though it did not fully replacebrick-and-mortar sales, it helped
stores maintain some activity, which
was important for everyone (retailers,
consumers and the economy).”SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
This is one of the major topics for e-commerce in France rightnow. It’s driven by three forces, the first being customers. All
surveys are showing this is something people care more andmore about -- there are more expectations from consumers tocontribute, improve and decrease the environmental impact ofconsumption, so webshops are taking this into consideration.
The second driver is expectation from companies andemployees. The average age of companies is quite young, andwe see that for the younger generation this topic is extremely
important – employees are demanding the companies theywork for to improve. The third driver is investors; we haveseveral new companies who need to get money to invest, andthey take this seriously into consideration.
Perhaps most importantly, companies have realized thatsustainability can be a way to improve performance. For quite
some years, sustainability was seen as a regulatory constraint,something that was imposed and there was no choice – now,
people and companies realize this is something that can help
them improve the effectiveness and performance of thecompany. Additionally, our research has shown that Covid will
not stop or slow down this issue of sustainability but will in factincrease the willingness to invest.
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

FRANCEFRANCE
INTERVIEW

What are retailers/consumers/policymakers going inregard to sustainability in e-commerce?
A specific example here: sometimes you have small items
in a parcel, and this costs a lot for the company due totransportation and materials to make the parcel. So, they are
now equipping new machines to help reduce parcel sizes,
which is a win-win situation, good for business and for theplanet.
We have to work on our transparency towards consumers. It is
important to give choices to the consumer, so they can makethe decision, and consumers are really in demand of having all
the information. They want information regarding delivery, butalso recycling of packaging.
From a policy perspective, we are working on consistent andcredible evaluation measures – it’s important we set this up,otherwise we will have controversy for how to calculate thesustainability measures that are taken. With this, we can givethe right tools to consumers and e-commerce players.

30“It is important to give choices tothe consumer, so they can makethe decision, and consumers arereally in demand of having all theinformation.”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

GERMANY

LIGHT VERSIONGERMANY
CHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

2.77%

0.57%

89%

2015

2016

2017

93%

94%

1.00%

2.00%

96%

95%

0.57%
82%

2018

2019

2020

2.77%

2.76%

1.55%

91%

n GDP n E-GDP

4.03%
1.39%

91%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

5.01%

Growth Rate

2.76%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

82%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

82%

2017

87%
82%

2018

88%

84%

2019

2020

2021 (F)2015 1.68%€2,7982016 1.84%€2,859

2017

2.54%

€2,929

2018

2.78%

€2,972

2019

3.08%

€2,994

2020

3.08%

€3,0372021 (F)

3.24%€3,083

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 4%
Pinterest: 18%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 67%

Twitter: 6%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

31

VAT: 19%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

GERMANY

LIGHT VERSIONGERMANY
INTERVIEW

Martin GroßAlbenhausen
BEVH

COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
E-commerce has always increased by about 10 % per year.
During the Covid-19 crisis we have seen the biggest growthof online shopping in categories like grocery and pharmacy –although people know they can go and get food and drugs instationary shops as well, they still prefer to do so online first.
Consumers realized that they can buy everything online as well
– also consumers who didn’t use to buy goods online in thepast. Therefore, we saw for example the strongest growth inolder people shopping online.
As a result, we have also seen companies shifting fromtraditional multi-channel business models to an online-firstmulti-channel model.
Moreover, German consumers have modified their online
payment behaviors, as digital payments such as Paypal andApple Pay are on the rise and invoice is declining. We saw thissame trend in brick-and-mortar stores and on the high-street.
In the past, bakeries would ask consumers to pay with cash,
now they are requesting payment with contactless options.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard from the lockdown?
The hardest hit were tickets and travel, as well as clothing in Q1(though it’s bounced back since then). For quite some time we
had a real problem in the category of travel items, namely for
products to take to the beach. Not taking online pharmacies
into account (they had the strongest growth overall but area special market due to regulation), the two winning productcategories have been bicycles and groceries, specifically32

alcoholic beverages. Office supplies were also selling well, butthey struggled with shortages and having too little stock after
3-4 weeks of lockdown.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creatinga stronger online presence?
Yes. We had a lot of new entrants into the market, namely fromcompanies that had never sold online before, who started
listing telephone numbers, WhatsApp information, Instagram
posts, etc. Many were forced to become e-commercecompanies. Online marketplaces facilitated their market
entry by providing them with the necessary infrastructure.
Moreover, we also had initiatives catered towards store-based
retailers to enable them to go online.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
There were several in relation to payments, like new ways to use
PayPal in stores, which has been one of the better innovations.
One interesting change regarding the delivery took place inBerlin, when the Senate decided that e-commerce and distanceselling are to be considered part of “normal retail” and therefore
must be taken into account when developing city streets andgeneral urban planning. In order to have a habitable place there
has been a push towards making home shopping and pickup
possible, so this was put into the legislative process and written
into law, which is a huge step for us.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
For the German population, as well as German legislation,
sustainability is a huge topic. It’s a conversation about returns
management, packaging, sustainable shipping and foreign
e-tailer requirements. Interestingly, for the first time theGerman Environment Agency has issued a study that showsthat there is no evidence that e-commerce is less sustainable
than regular retail, and in more cases, it is even moresustainable to buy online than in a physical shop. Therefore,
the tone of the discussion is changing.

“For the German population, as wellas German legislation, sustainability isa huge topic.”
We also have some inconsistencies in our legislation regarding
sustainability. We have a new law requiring retailers to makesure that their goods remain marketable during the wholeselling process, which is in the interest of every retailer anyway.
However, in the future retailers will be required to document
and report what they have done with the products that werereturned. Instead of increasing the administrative burden forretailers, we call on the Ministry of Finance to change the law
to exempt donations of companies to charitable organizations
from VAT, which we feel would result in higher benefits forsustainability and the society than the drafting of reports.
Of course, the other big discussion is around China and theEU, as many cheap items come from Chinese companies that
do not have to comply with the same regulation as German
or other EU retailers have to. We need to set the rules to keepa level playing field – we cannot force German companies tocomply with sustainability regulations when foreign companies
do not have to do the same.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
products with sustainability in mind? If so, under what
conditions?
If you ask consumers, they say “yes.” If you charge consumers,
they say “no!” It’s not that consumers are unwilling, but
consumers will no longer pay more if you simply list a productas “organic” and then charge more for it. In grocery stores thecustomer is very price sensitive – even in organic supermarkets.
Another example: Right now, our members are trying to
reduce packaging, but they have seen that if something is notpackaged in the original packaging, return rates increase.

Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

GERMANY
INTERVIEW

ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What is the status of cryptocurrency use in the German
e-commerce market?
We know that whenever we talk about Bitcoin in retail, hardly
anybody would want to talk about it. People regard it as snake
oil – they don’t understand it and see it as a scam, like somethingused on the dark web for fraud. That is the current mindset
in Germany, so I’m happy consumers are using something
like PayPal, but as far as Blockchain and cryptocurrency isconcerned, we are 3-4 years behind the US and other European
markets. We do have some shops accepting cryptocurrency,
but it certainly isn’t a payment method easily accepted – nor
by retailers neither by customers. Banking companies want toregulate it, which is like ripping the core out of cryptocurrency
and transforming it into a digital euro without the benefits of astable digital currency. The discussion in Germany with these
topics is to regulate rather than drive them forward.
What is the conversation around data protection andprivacy in Germany?
With the deletion of legitimate interest in the current e-privacy
proposal, data protection in Germany is, right now, a completely
European hot topic. It’s a hot topic not only for businesses but
for consumers, too. German consumers want data protection
and consent management is huge because we are required bylaw to comply. However, more business will be shuffled to big
players because these companies have created enough valueof some kind to the customer that he is willing to consent theongoing use of his data. Small businesses might lose a lot of
insights because they can track less data; this, of course, hurts
competition. Data is very valuable, so the question we have
now is: How much tracking can you lose and still make goodbusiness decisions? How can you do more with less data?
Which data can/do you track? These are the questions we’recurrently asking in Germany.

33

GERMANY

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

IRELAND

LIGHT VERSIONIRELAND
CHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

2.16%
0.00%

n GDP n E-GDP

82%

83%

82%

1.70%
92%

2016

2017

93%

81%

84%

2018

71%

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT2015 2.27%
6.72%

2015

-9.85%

70%

85%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2017

2018

2019

2020

2016 2.20%
2017 2.28%
2018 2.29%

73%

64%

63%
2015

13.58% 14.47% 13.45%

2.24%
91%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Growth Rate
15.14%

3.85%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

9.77%

2021 (F)

2019

2.36%

2020

2.44%

2021 (F)2.53%

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 1%
Pinterest: 4%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 91%

Twitter: 3%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

34

VAT: 23%

€259
€272
€292
€311
€324
€336
€346

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

IRELAND

LIGHT VERSIONIRELAND
INTERVIEWDavid Campbell
Digital Business Ireland
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed the e-commerce market in
Ireland?
E-commerce grew by years in the Irish economy, there wasunprecedented acceleration in the market. Obviously, a
lot of retailers were already prepared and had operationalframeworks in place, but many others were caught napping.
Small businesses, but also large brands, weren’t able to copewith demand when the pandemic hit. They didn’t have thenecessary logistics in place, including resources, skills, staff,
partners, etc., but the pandemic highlighted to everyone
the importance in online trade. Covid-19 also solidified theomnichannel landscape in Ireland, retailers learned theyneeded a 360 approach – online shoppers shopping in-store,
and vice-versa.
We saw an increase in new online shoppers because thetraditionally physical in-store shoppers were forced to shop
online with no other options. We saw a steady progression
in online sales, though it didn’t make up for the loss of sales
in brick-and-mortar retail. At the moment of this interview,
retailers are not permitted to use click-and-collect, which has
been extremely challenging for online retailers.
We’ve seen a large push towards shopping local because
this has been a challenging time for Irish retailers. Because
we couldn’t travel outside of our communities, we begansupporting more Irish/local retailers. We began highlighting
the great products we have and promoting consumers support
Irish retailers as much as possible.
Have you noticed any product categories or retailers hit
hard during the lockdown(s)?
Product categories that performed really well were health35

and fitness, particularly gym equipment. Of course, gyms
were closed, so consumers purchased sports equipment touse at home. Additionally, consumer electronics and tech was
massive. Phones, tablets, everything to make things efficientfor working from home. Outdoor furniture, garden equipment
and DIY were also huge categories during the lockdown. Also,
there was a massive surge in online shopping for groceries,
especially amongst the elderly.

“Covid-19 also solidified theomnichannel landscape in Ireland,
retailers learned they needed a 360
approach – online shoppers shopping
in-store, and vice-versa.”

SUSTAINABILITY

online and be successful?
Limited skills and resources are the biggest challenges.
Educating them with the correct partners is where we try
to help, but they need to do their background research, getcase studies and talk to customers of partners and theirexperiences. There’s a wealth of opportunities in Ireland,tech multinationals, service providers, government support,
associations and initiatives, training courses and resources.
The most important thing is for retailers to do some consumer
research, monitor shopping habits and behaviors, and sectorby-sector analyses.

What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
It’s becoming more and more prevalent. We have a specificcommittee around sustainability in Digital Business Ireland,
and it’s the topic for our upcoming conference. Global brands
really need to be sustainable and ethical; you see this in all the
big tech companies in Ireland, that their mission statements
encompass sustainable sourcing and ethical policies andsupply chains. I think there is a responsibility that we allneed to search for products that are ethical and sustainable,
products that are sourced correctly and manufactured ina safe and secure manner. Since Covid-19, more people are
evaluating their work-life balance and are more in-tune withhow products and services are produced.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
Yes, 100%. It’s case-by-case of course, but different brands areshowing positive success stories. More brands are highlighting
their ethical business practices and sustainable sourcing, so
consumers are also becoming more interested. With next-day
delivery, consumers are willing to pay more – everyone wants
their products quickly and conveniently. Sustainability is nodifferent for consumers – it’s important to them, so they arewilling to pay more for it.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What have some of the specific challenges/opportunities
been for SMEs going online & what do they need to go

How has Brexit impacted the Irish e-commerce market?
It’s strange for Irish retailers because a lot were not prepared –they likely didn’t think it was going to cause as large an impact
as it has. Many retailers are having problems with customs
and duties/taxes, especially with large equipment orders (ex.
Sports equipment). Typically, they would import from China
and transport from the UK to Ireland, which is now seeing
huge taxation implemented, so they’ve had to modify their
entire logistics and warehouse operations. Several still needto discuss with their various providers to make sure they are
registered for VAT implementations.
The most important thing here is to make sure customers
are not charged extra for customs or VAT, because that is abad experience for customers. If you advertise a productonline for a certain price and they have to pay more, that is avery negative experience. Several Irish businesses working inContinued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

IRELANDIRELAND
INTERVIEW

bulk are avoiding the UK now, as they would need large bulk
shipping to justify the costs – they are likely to go to France or
Germany.
Ireland is home to some massive tech companies – whatis their relationship with local Irish e-commerce players?
Big tech corporations are actually big contributors to the
local worforce via skills training, which benefits SMEs acrossIreland. The Google Digital Garage has online training courses,
Facebook Blue offers research reports on advertising,Microsoft launched Global Skills to educate the workforce, andLinkedIn Learning has free tools.
We feel it’s important to partner with large multinationals toprovide upscale training, education and resources across
categories. We’ve partnered with Google on a resource called
Pointee, which is essentially an online marketplace to promotelocal businesses in Ireland. We’ve also partnered with Virgin
Media to do a road show, selecting 5 companies in each region
around the country to build up their websites, scale theirbusinesses, and give them skills and expertise training.
We’re working with Google for all tailored education andtraining courses – we usually do 5-6 sessions with them a year
for SMEs. This could be basic tools, sighing up an adwords
account, export potential, etc., but we always try to survey
members and partners to see what key aspects and trends
they need addressed.

36

Big tech corporations are actually big
contributors to the local worforce via
skills training, which benefits SMEs
across Ireland.”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

IRELAND

LIGHT VERSIONIRELAND
INTERVIEW

Duncan Graham
Retail Excellence
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
We’ve had three significant lockdowns in Ireland and seen a
massive surge in online shopping. During the lockdown, anyone
who wanted to purchase something non-essential has gone
online to purchase. We have seen a growth in sales of at least
125% during the lockdowns compared to 2019, particularly inthe run-up to Christmas. This third lockdown that we’re still in(as of March 2021) has resulted in closure of click-and-collectservices, moving the entire purchasing experience online.
Irish consumers have generally adapted really well and moved
online quickly, but we noticed every time the lockdown was
lifted there was a strong move to go back to physical shopping.
So, although there has been huge growth in e-commerce,
every time the lockdown is lifted that growth normalizes
again. It’s difficult to say which trend will last, as we’ve been in
lockdown for 7 out of the last 12 months, but we expect a mixof consumer shopping behaviors.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creatinga stronger online presence?
It was reported that 65,000 new .ie domains were registeredduring the early months of the pandemic. We’re not sure howmuch is retail, but it’s likely that a large percentage would
have been. There was a significant shift for businesses tomove online and there have been two significant governmentbacked funding schemes for online retail.
One scheme amounted to 11 million euros in funding aimed
at larger organizations to move their businesses online,
and there was additional funding for smaller retailers up to
approximately 2,000 euros. There have been around 600

37companies that have taken up that particular grant and a large
number of companies have received the smaller grant as well,so this policy push has been very significant.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard or did well during the
lockdown?
Online grocery shopping and delivery became a thing, but
you haven’t seen it to the same degree as other countries.
With the main supermarket chains, they have their own inhouse delivery, and by and large they are managing that way,
so we’ve not seen new delivery companies associated withgrocery delivery.
There’s been a significant shift on the run-up to Christmas inpeople buying online and specifically buying local, with Irish
retailers. Traditionally the figure for the share of businessbeing done with online retailers outside of Ireland was 70%,
and it has dropped to 60% with the gap being filled by Irish
retailers. People are buying locally so they don’t have to travel,and I think that will stay after Covid-19 measures are gone.
Clothing, department stores, jewelry stores, gift businesses
and smaller independent retailers were hit harder than mixed
retailers. Specialist food stores performed well because
restaurants were shut, so people were eating at home. Typicalbrick-and-mortar shops like butchers, fishmongers, green
grocers, and specialist food stores, moved online to continue
reaching customers.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
There are several sustainable retailers emerging, but during
the pandemic we haven’t had many consumers demanding
it as strongly. The pandemic and Brexit seem to haveovershadowed the conversation around sustainability. There
was a comment in the media around packaging that had been
generated in relation to online shopping. While there wasnothing that came out of it in terms of policy/government, there“It was reported that 65,000 new .ie
domains were registered during theearly months of the pandemic. We’renot sure how much is retail, but it’s
likely that a large percentage would
have been.”
was certainly a question mark being raised about how much
shopping was being done online and how much packaging it
was creating. We are seeing a growing need for food stores tosource locally and certain food stores have connected to farms
around the corner.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
I think it’s a growing “yes.” It’s not reached a tipping point yet,but there are consumers that are interested and would opt forsustainability solutions if presented to them during checkout.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What do SMEs need in your market to go online and be
successful?
Financial support and government backing are #1. A good
platform needs a support function in the background,something like Shopify or another good platform to launchfrom. Those are the two key points coming out at the moment.
Additionally, the biggest thing is having an overall omnichannel
strategy rather than simply going online. There has to bea strategic plan. I would also say that understanding thefulfillment side of e-commerce is a bigger task than people
realize – ensuring everything flows from warehouse to front
door can be overwhelming.

Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

IRELANDIRELAND
INTERVIEW

What impacts has Brexit had on the Irish e-commercemarket?
The movement of goods throughout the supply chain hasn’t
been resolved yet, so there are clear issues with Brexit. There’s
an additional cost to Irish consumers in bringing in anythingfrom the UK and it’s costing more now than ever before.
Because of this, we’ve seen more Irish consumers buying from
German or French webshops to ensure they’re not charged
a higher rate. Anything that comes from the UK is now goingto have these new higher costs for Irish consumers. Anybody
that is or has been trading into Ireland through the UK and
has a strong Irish customer base will likely consider potentially
opening up a distribution center in the future. We’ve noticed
several shops and brands from Europe popping up across thecountry.

38“The movement of goods throughout
the supply chain hasn’t been resolved
yet, so there are clear issues with
Brexit. ”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

LUXEMBOURG

LIGHT VERSIONLUXEMBOURG
CHARTSINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

Currency: Euro

2.08%
2.21%

2.21%

98%

97%

2016

2017

n GDP n E-GDP

3.00%
1.00%

97%

97%

99%

99%

80%

80%

82%

-7.88%
74%

2015

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

3.28%

3.67%

1.90%
1.14%

98%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
10.68%
Growth Rate

3.76%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2017

2018

80%

2020

€47.9

2018 0.74%€49.3

2019 0.80%€50.72020 0.94%€52.1

2021 (F) 0.99%

€53.5

82%

75%

2019

2017 0.67%

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 2%
Pinterest: 18%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 68%

Twitter: 8%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

39

VAT: 17%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

NETHERLANDS

LIGHT VERSIONNETHERLANDSCHARTSINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate

2.37%

0.13%
-0.82%

1.60%

96%
95%

94%

95%

91%

94%

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2.50%

1.28%

95%

76%
2015

n GDP n E-GDP

4.21%-0.82%
96%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

7.44%

6.26%

1.28%

2015

79%
2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

82%

2017

84%

2018

93%

84%

2019

2020

2021 (F)2015 2.33%

€690

2016

2.78%

€705

2017

2.78%

€725

2018

3.03%

€743

2019

3.41%

€757

2020

3.45%

€770

2021 (F)

3.57%

€781

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 3%
Pinterest: 22%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 60%

Twitter: 10%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

40

VAT: 21%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

0.25%

Currency: EuroEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

NETHERLANDS

LIGHT VERSIONNETHERLANDSINTERVIEW

Marlene ten Ham
Thuiswinkel.org
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Because of the lockdown, people were forced to stay home,and shops were closed, so more and more people went online
for purchases. Businesses digitalizing was already happening
in the Netherlands, but Covid-19 really accelerated thattransformation. We believe that even when the pandemic isover, many of the online behaviors will continue to exist.
Looking at consumer purchases, it’s clear that almost every
product category shows a rise in online spending and online
purchases. Because of Covid-19, we specifically saw a rise in
the number of online purchases. Additionally, we saw a strong
decline in the services category.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard from the lockdown?
Due to the lockdown, people started buying things to maketheir homes nicer, including office and IT equipment to workfrom home. Consumers are also spending more on sports andrecreation, namely outdoor sports, and food and nearfood, as
online grocery purchasing spiked.
Services and travel were hit hard during Covid. Compared
to 2019, tickets for attractions and events were -41%, single
airplane tickets and accommodations were -41%, and travel
packages were -65%. Looking at products, almost every
product category experienced growth.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
Partially because of Covid, consumers are much more awareof the impact on the environment and push for more green

41

ways of delivery. I believe that the greener ways of delivery are
gaining ground, particularly in the crowded areas with solutions
like bike couriers. The last mile has become more of a concern
and e-commerce players are increasingly working on greener
solutions. Extreme peaks in logistics have been a challenge but
is has also sparked innovation and entrepreneurship. Retailers
organizing their own deliveries and collaborations of local
stores in specific regions. Covid-19 has increased the interestof consumers for local goods.
What were some of the logistics issues with Covid-19?
There were lots of logistics issues during the pandemic,
despite our infrastructure being great. The problem here wasthat there was so much online ordering, Logistics providers
had to upscale and hire new people very quickly. So did thewebstores; some had four times as many orders as usualin the first lockdown, all of which had to be processed andpackaged. We advised our members to give consumers
as many opportunities for delivery and returns (30 days
instead of 14) as possible and to be transparent and make no
promises you can’t deliver on without doubts. Luckily we saw
a lot of understanding with consumers that in these extreme
circumstances promises of next day delivery couldn’t always
be made.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Online retail is very visible, with the vans going around thestreets delivering packages. What is fairly unknown is thatonline shopping is actually a very efficient and thus sustainable
way of shopping. One van can deliver about 200 packages;
imagine all these consumers taking their car to go to the store.
The emissions would be much higher.
Nevertheless, the e-commerce sector has a serious
responsibility to work on sustainability and we see this high on
the agenda of many of our members. We are working towards
online delivery with 50% less CO2-impact in 2025. Online
shops are measuring and reducing CO2 emissions by looking“Due to the lockdown, people
started buying things to make theirhomes nicer, including office and IT
equipment to work from home.”at greener ways of delivering their orders and helping theircustomers with choosing the most sustainable delivery option.
Packaging is another area the sector is taking serious steps in.
We’ve set goals for using less and recycled packaging materials,
reducing air in packages and exploring the possibilities ofreusable packaging.
Last but not least: we are obviously very aware of the transition
towards a circular economy. This new form of businessprovides lots of opportunities for the sector and will be theultimate way of distinguishing yourself from competitors.
It has implications for the way we look at returns, how wedispose and recycle used products and for offering a muchbroader sustainable product range to consumers.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
Only 16% of consumers are willing to pay for a delivery withlower CO2 emissions. The average amount they are willingto pay is EUR 2.10. Consumers believe it is very important tobe green and care for the environment until it hits their own
wallet. Our advice to retailers is just to inform consumers
the best you can, give opportunities to consumers to choose
green options, promote the green options and incentivize thegreener options.
OTHER TOPICS
What is your goal moving forward as an e-commerce
association?
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

NETHERLANDSINTERVIEW“The new VAT implementation willdefinitely impact Dutch online shops
selling to other EU countries.”
Our goal is to create a level playing field for all SMEs and we arelobbying for that in Europe so that legislation will be changed
accordingly. We are getting some results in that regard and themost important thing is that all online stores/entrepreneurs
can compete in a fair way. We’re never opposed to consumer
protection, but it shouldn’t always be at the cost of online
retailers, so we’re looking for ways to protect consumers
while still allowing retailers to manage. This also goes for crossborder consumer rights. A single market means unified rules.
The new VAT implementation will definitely impact Dutch
online shops selling to other EU countries. In regulation they
have to charge VAT in the country that customers are buying
it in – the country of the consumer. One other thing that was
really impactful was the VAT exemption of countries like China
on smaller packages and orders up to EUR 22.00 which cameto an end in July. Thuiswinkel.org is in favor of this because it
has hampered a level playing field.

42

NETHERLANDS

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

WESTERN EUROPE

UNITED KINGDOMLIGHT VERSIONUNITED KINGDOMCHARTSINTERNET USAGE

Currency: PoundE-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

6.31%

Growth Rate

VAT: 20%n GDP n E-GDP

2.62%
1.64%

2.83%
0.65%

0.62%
98%

95%

95%

95%

2.83%

1.00%

1.79%

99%

2016

2017

2018

2019

87%

2020

91%

-0.51%

96%

87%

93%
2015

3.75%

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

86%

2017

92%

2.50%
93%

87%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)

2015

6.17%

€2,496

2016

6.81%

€2,520

2017

7.95%

€2,366

2018

9.26%

€2,318

2019

9.58%

€2,407

2020

9.92%

€2,3782021 (F)10.26%SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 5%
Pinterest: 25%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 52%

Twitter: 13%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

43€2,478EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

LIGHT VERSIONNORTHERN EUROPE
INTERNET USERS

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
94%

94%

96%

96%

96%

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

78%

76%

2017
SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)

2017

2018

79%

2019

84%

82%

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTATGDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce salesn GDP n E-GDP
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

2017

2.73%

€1,386

2018

3.01%

€1,376

2019

3.39%

€1,381

2020

3.48%

€1,3852021 (F)

3.88%€1,421

SOURCE: IMF; CMI ANALYSIS

44

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

DENMARK

LIGHT VERSION

DENMARKCHARTS

Currency: Krone

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
Growth Rate

2.27%
1.34%

7.03%

6.28%

n GDP n E-GDP

2.80%

2015

4.50%

€258

1.00%

2016

5.11%

€264

91%

2017

5.64%

€271

2018

6.31%

€274

2019

7.06%

€276

2020

7.29%

€283

2021 (F)

7.83%

€290

0.36%
0.39%

97%

97%

97%

0.30%
98%

-0.67%

99%-2.00%

99%

97%
82%

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT-0.67%

2015

84%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

90%
86%

86%

82%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 3%
Pinterest: 18%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 67%

Twitter: 6%
YouTube: 3%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

45

VAT: 25%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

DENMARK

LIGHT VERSION

DENMARKINTERVIEW

Henrik Theil
Dansk Erhverv
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Increased online shopping. Due to more buys by theexperienced online shopper and for groups of consumers who
are new to online shopping. Growth rate +6% in sales (154 bn
DKK) compared to 2019 (145 bn), number of online sales +13%
from 222 mio in 2019 to 252 mio in 2020.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers hit hard from the lockdown?
Travels’ share of total sales fell from 27% in 2019 to 12% in
2020. Leisure/tickets for sports, cinema and amusement
dropped from 5% to 3% DIY and furniture grew.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creatinga stronger online presence?
Webshops increased sales, and many smaller brick-andmortar shops set up an online presence (e.g., Liveshopping on
Facebook, new webshop, chatrooms, etc.). The biggest Danish
Hosting operator DanDomain said they tripled the number of
new websites in the summer 2020 compared to 2019.
More companies have gone online or enhanced their presence
online due to the Covid-19 – this goes both for B2B and B2C.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
Click-and-collect rose, especially with the closed brick-andmortar shops used as pick-up points. No entry for customers
to the shop but picking up the goods at the door. Home
delivery grew after years of declining. Payments is often bysmartphone/app – 21% of all online sales were paid by phone.

46

SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Mainly focus on the goods, how they’re produced, andsecondly on packing (waste) and a little on distribution. 10% ofconsumers say sustainability is of great importance, and 21%
say it doesn’t matter. The rest (7 of 10 consumers) say it has
some importance to them when shopping online.
What, if anything, are retailers/consumers/policymakers
doing in regard to sustainability in e-commerce?
Policymakers are following initiatives / directives from EU, andretailers work hard to comply with new legislation. Consumers
may say they want to buy sustainable products, but price andconvenience seems to win in the end. The consumers care forthe origin and production of products, and some groups may
be willing to pay a little extra to avoid bad products like cheap
stuff from Wish, but in the end – buying or not depend on theprice.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What have some of the challenges/opportunities been for
SMEs going online?
Lack of expertise and understanding of e-commerce. Bothpublic authorities as well as organizations and privatecompanies have offered a great number of webinars on
digitation and counseling. Many SMVs are also looking for
new employees with the needed skills to drive e-commerce
projects to a successful completion.
What’s the status of cross-border/domestic online
shopping?
Danes’ cross-border online shopping in 2020 remained on thesame level as in 2019 (45 bn DKK), but due to the rise in total
e-commerce sales, the share of domestic sales rose by 15%,
while the cross-border share of shopping dropped 10%. Our
own top 20 for 2020 shows more domestic e-commerce withmore Danish SMEs in the top 20 in 2020 than in 2019. For the
first time, we have a pharmacy in our top 20 list.

“Home delivery grew after yearsof declining. Payments is often bysmartphone/app – 21% of all online
sales were paid by phone.”

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

ESTONIA

LIGHT VERSIONESTONIA
CHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

1.41%

0.11%

-0.91%
89%

88%

89%

90%

91%

2.99%

-1.06%
90%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015n GDP n E-GDP

75%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2018

2019

3.01%

€17.6

0.50%

2016

3.77%

€18.2

76%

76%

2017

4.67%

€19.1

2018

5.70%

€19.9

2019

6.94%

€20.4

2020

6.78%

€21.0

2021 (F)

7.92%

€21.6

65%

2017

2015
0.26%

68%
64%

2016

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

6.01%-3.91%

90%
66%

2015

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
11.59%
Growth Rate

1.18%
1.33%

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 5%
Pinterest: 20%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 58%

Twitter: 9%
YouTube: 4%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

47

VAT: 20%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

ESTONIA

LIGHT VERSIONESTONIA
INTERVIEWTõnu Väät

E-kaubanduse Liit
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed the Estonian e-commercemarket?
The biggest change was in March 2020. E-commerce turnovergrowth before was 20-25%, which is quite ordinary, but fromMarch 2020, turnover of e-services fell by at least 80% (tickets,
documentation, etc.). Turnover from 2020 was the same as it
was in 2019 due to the lack of purchasing during the pandemic.
That said, purchases in e-shops increased by 50-55%, despite
the drop in e-service purchasing.
Our association monitors parcel machines to obtain thevolume of e-goods; last year, the traffic in domestic parcel
machines ordered by private consumers totaled over 9 million
parcels, 54% more than the year before the pandemic. Keep inmind, courier service makes up 20% of parcel delivery. One of
the big changes in consumer behavior was receiving packages
via parcel machines, as over 70% preferred to receive packages
through this delivery method.
Overall, the infrastructure was prepared for the rapid growthin online grocery shopping. We have five large companies andthey all have quite a decent system for grocery delivery, so we
didn’t see massive delays in those logistics operations.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers hit hard during the lockdown?
Normally, most concert and theater tickets are purchased
online, accounting for as much as 40-45% of all purchases innormal times. It was approximately 30% electronics, 25% food,
24% furniture, and 20% sports goods. During the pandemic,
the largest drop was in payment towards travel and fashion,and on the flipside, we experienced increases in home office
and food. Regarding e-food, the typical market share of e-food48

is 3-4% of all transactions, but it has been growing substantially– both grocery and restaurant delivery.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creatinga stronger online presence?
Yes, of course. At least 1,000+ e-shops were started; studies
have shown that only 50% of companies have e-channels.
There were government initiatives, investments and subsidies
to help companies get online. Large companies were supported
but we have had a problem with smaller companies who don’t
have enough knowledge and funds to sell abroad. One of ourproblems is that small companies need more help from thegovernment.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
This issue is very important right now in many ways. The
pandemic has significantly changed people’s attitudes in
Estonia towards environmental issues. In the past, theconcerns were predominantly about plastics in the Baltic
states, but now concerns about health and environment
have expanded concerns around sustainability. What we’ve
noticed since last year is that ordering online from China has
dropped significantly – less cheap goods are ordered from
Asia now, which is (I think) for the environmental footprint.
Our government is trying to raise awareness, it is one of theirfocuses, and consumers are demanding more sustainableoptions.
Do you think consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
It’s the million-dollar question. Innovation has big issues with
reducing the environmental footprint and keeping up withdigital and technology. Consumers are willing to pay more,
but there is still a need for clarity and clear solutions in these
topics. It will need to develop in the coming years, but if wehave some very good solutions and the cost isn’t prohibitively
high, then I think consumers will pay more. It’s a hot topic, wejust need transparency about the policies.

“In the past, the concerns werepredominantly about plastics inthe Baltic states, but now concerns
about health and environment
have expanded concerns aroundsustainability.”
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What is the status of cryptocurrency use in Estonia?
We have more companies this year than ever before dealing
in cryptocurrency, but I think this topic is strange. We inthe e-commerce world need to work to understand thisissue better; the average consumer may not want to use
cryptocurrency because every time we see an article, it’s mostly
bad news about developments.
What are some of the challenges/opportunities for SMEs
going online and what do SMEs need to do to be successful
online?
The biggest point is just investment in advertising. Estonians
are very open-minded, but you have to have a well-designed
e-shop and in e-channels where you can be found. Maybe itsounds simple, but these are the main issues we see.
Estonia is small, so I think the biggest point is investment. You
need to be found in the channels and to market, which canbe hard to do for smaller sites. Big international players haveit easy, but smaller players will need to be mindful of theirmarketing and investments.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

FINLAND

LIGHT VERSIONFINLAND
CHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

2.20%

Growth Rate

4.38%

4.22%

n GDP n E-GDP

3.53%

1.24%
1.33%

1.50%
0.20%

93%

2015

94%

94%

0.50%

0.15%
95%

97%

95%

-0.11%

97%75%-2.72%

75%

72%

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2017

77%

78%

79%

74%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2015 1.18%€186

2016 1.43%

€191

2017

1.71%

€196

2018

1.84%

€201

2019

2.02%

€205

2020

2.43%

€209

2021 (F)

2.76%

€211

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 6%
Pinterest: 25%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 44%

Twitter: 15%
YouTube: 5%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

49

VAT: 24%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

FINLAND

LIGHT VERSIONFINLAND
INTERVIEW

Ilari Kallio
Kaupan litto
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
The clearest change has been the growth of online shopping
compared to previous years. Annually, the growth has been
between 8-12% over 10 years, and last year we saw a growthof 22%, so there was a huge jump. More people were going
online, not just those shopping online making more online
purchases, but more and more customer sentiment towards
shopping online.
Have you noticed product categories or retailers thatwere hit hard from the lockdown?
Although we didn’t have a lockdown as such, people reduced
their movement outside and began avoiding physical shops,
opting instead to purchase online. Covid has had an impact onseveral sectors. Houseware, hardware and sports equipment
have fared well, whereas clothing, shoes, and luxury items
have done poorly. Naturally, grocery stores have been doing
very well, partially because customers shopping online try toconcentrate their shopping via hypermarkets.
The infrastructure of grocery delivery struggled, as they were
not fully prepared, even with click-and-collect. Keeping items
cold was difficult, and despite having some cold-lockers,
supermarkets in highly populated areas could only get you
your order a week from the day you made the order. Alongside
logistics struggling, they didn’t have enough employees tocollect everything from the shelves at the beginning. That said,
there are no more delays now, but there could and should
be more competition in delivery/logistics providers from an
e-commerce perspective.
Did Covid impact retailers going online or creating a

50stronger online presence?
It did in a way – online sales went up more than ever before,
but most interesting was the growth in grocery sales online.
The share of e-commerce in groceries was approximately
0.6% before the pandemic and has now jumped to around
2%. We’ve estimated that it would have originally taken years
to see the e-commerce part of the grocery sector grow to 2%.
Some companies reported that the online sales were eighttimes higher for groceries than before, and overall, the sales
in this sector tripled.
Click-and-collect was the preferred method for purchasing
groceries online. You could have your groceries delivered, but
it was expensive compared to click-and-collect. The prices are
decreasing, but even now it is still the more expensive option.
Smaller retailers who didn’t have an online store before thepandemic had no sales during spring of 2020 because people
were staying home. Many of them had to put up a webshop
and/or use online marketplaces to cope.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Sustainability is visible, and it depends on where you look. We
have commissioned a study with a Finnish postal operator
regarding online sales and online shoppers, which revealed
that the frontrunners of online shopping are quite inclined
to know about sustainability of products and repairability. A
major part want to know about how ethical and sustainable
their choices or different stores are. Overall, 40% of online
shoppers want information about how something was
manufactured and what the supply chains are.
A large part of online shoppers concerned with sustainability
are willing to pay more for sustainable choices. We foundthat 30% of consumers are now buying products they feel are
more ethical and/or sustainable. Additionally, organic and fairtrade products are much more visible nowadays in Finland.
Specifically, consumers in grocery stores almost always have

“Although we didn’t have a lockdown
as such, people reduced their
movement outside and began
avoiding physical shops, opting
instead to purchase online. ”
at least one organic option.
What, if anything, are retailers/consumers/policymakers
doing in regard to sustainability and e-commerce?
One thing is the extended producer responsibility forelectronics and batteries. One of our focuses as an association(and what gives us a headache) is when consumers purchasegoods from foreign countries outside the EU through online
marketplaces that are (a) not compliant with EU rules and/or(b) from manufacturers and suppliers that are not involvedin and/or are not paying for recycling these products. We aretrying to solve this problem via EPR schemes, which includes
obligations to pay for recycling fees, etc. With this in mind,
the level playing field for e-commerce is currently missing,as companies who comply with regulations on recycling andsustainability are essentially paying for those that are not.
We are seeing more companies communicate their focus onsustainability. Retailers keep this topic quite visible in different
forms, e.g. large grocery chains writing on plastic bags whatpercentage of the bag is recycled plastics, etc. Additionally, we
see stores increasingly concerned with their energy efficiency,
particularly in hypermarkets where cold storage is essentialand energy consuming. Also, more and more companies
are making it a business case for the ethical side of thisconversation as well, addressing their focus on ethical labor
standards throughout their supply chains.
Policymakers are looking specifically at the circular economy– this topic has been highly visible for policymakers and theContinued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

FINLANDFINLAND
INTERVIEW

industry, and a major portion of the population understands
what the circular economy means. The commerce, techindustry and majority of sectors are quite active in the circular
economy, and Finland has become a flag-bearer on this topic
in the EU. There are a variety of ongoing projects consistently
focused on improving the situation, from raw materials all theway to recycling of products at the end of their life cycle.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What have some of the challenges/opportunities been for
SMEs going online?
One clear challenge is related to logistics and deliveries.
Distances are long and if you’re a small operator, you can’t
use all the logistics service suppliers. If you rely only on one
or two, it can take longer to get your goods from Helsinki toother parts of Finland than to Berlin. Long distances also makeshipping more expensive.
Competing against international online retailers is difficult,which is why we suggest online marketplaces to retailers as
an alternative to webshops, telling them they are a possibility
for SMEs if they don’t want to run their own website and if theywant to go cross-border.
Another topic we have highlighted regarding online sales isdigital skills. Many retailers lack personnel with skills to run
online operations, like setting up a website. So, we need moreinvestment into digital skills across the population.

51“Competing against international
online retailers is difficult, which is
why we suggest online marketplaces
to retailers as an alternative towebshop.”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPEICELAND

LIGHT VERSIONICELAND
CHARTS

Currency: Króna

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

2.00%

Growth Rate

Growth Raten GDP n E-GDP

5.65%
0.66%

98%

2015

98%

2016

98%

2017

4.14%

0.38%

0.69%

0.37%
99%

99%

0.10%
99%

0.68%
77%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT2015 1.19%
2.50%

99%

2017
SOURCE: EUROSTAT

80%

83%

85%

76%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2016 1.12%

2018 1.32%€12.002019 1.56%€11.442020 1.84%€11.622021 (F)2.29%

SOURCE: IMF

Instagram: 2%
Pinterest: 13%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

YouTube: 1%
SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

52

€9.73
€12.04

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Twitter: 6%€8.35

2017 1.12%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 75%

VAT: 24%€10.31EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

LATVIA

LIGHT VERSIONLATVIA
CHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

Growth Rate2015 0.35%

0.06%
80%

2015

81%

2016

0.06%
82%

2017

85%

2018

0.06%

91%

87%

55%

55%

48%

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTATn GDP n E-GDP

10.00%

1.20%
90%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

19.90%

14.65%
1.25%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

2.77%

2.49%

2017

-1.24%
53%

2018

3.16%
63%

68%

2020

2016 0.43%
2017 0.54%
2018 0.69%

54%

2019

2021 (F)2021 (F) 1.14%€26.95

SOURCE: IMF

This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

53€24.62€26.17

Pinterest: 14%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER€23.862020 1.03%

Instagram: 3%

YouTube: 3%€22.78€25.40SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Twitter: 14%€21.772019 0.83%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 62%

VAT: 21%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

LITHUANIA

LIGHT VERSIONLITHUANIACHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

Growth Rate

11.31%

1.01%
79%
72%

2015

81%

82%

84%

2017

2018

2019

2.58%

2020

9.11%

84%

75%

2016

n GDP n E-GDP

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT2015 1.32%

€33.7

9.50%

2016 1.40%

€34.5

70%

2017 1.46%€35.9

2018 1.52%€37.2

2019 1.60%€38.2

2020 1.84%€39.2

10.20%

0.50%-0.14%The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

15.48%

1.59%

2.58%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

3.70%

44%

44%

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

49%

2017

54%

2018

59%

2019

64%

2020

2021 (F)2021 (F)

1.95%

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 4%
Pinterest: 15%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 69%

Twitter: 6%
YouTube: 4%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER54

VAT: 21%€40.3

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

NORWAYLIGHT VERSIONNORWAYCHARTS

Currency: Krone

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

97%

2015

98%

98%

98%

3.21%

0.25%

99%

n GDP n E-GDP
4.64%

1.90%
0.77%
-0.56%
98%

2017

2018

2019

2020

4.24%
4.33%

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

4.00%
90%

98%

87%

-0.49%

2016

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Growth Rate

1.82%

0.79%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

78%

79%

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

81%

83%

78%
2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)

2015

2.70%

2016

3.15%

2017

2.98%

2018

3.36%

€329

2019

3.81%

€329

2020

2.57%

€335

2021 (F)

3.29%

€327

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 4%
Pinterest: 20%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 64%

Twitter: 8%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

55

VAT: 25%

€339
€311
€349

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

NORWAYLIGHT VERSIONNORWAYINTERVIEW

Gerhard Anthun

and e-fulfillment system – they were able to deliver groceries
alongside other products.

COVID-19

Were there any initiatives to help during this time?
There were no government initiatives to get people online, butseveral suppliers and agencies were working to do so. Also,
the association has helped in giving input, but it’s also word-ofmouth. Virke has been working with the government to help
them during the lockdown, to offer financing help rather thangetting online.

Virke e-Handel

How has Covid-19 changed the Norwegian e-commercemarket?
It’s changed a lot; today, online sales represent more than 10%,whereas before it less than 5% approximately 5 years ago. We
saw 3-4 years growth in one year due to Covid-19. The market
had 37% growth in 2020 and it used to be 8-10%. That said,
e-commerce has not filled the gap for physical retail. A quarteror third of turnover, but not all retail. E-commerce has certainly
helped retailers, and they are taking it into consideration,
adopting more an omnichannel approach.
Regarding product categories that were hit hard from thepandemic, travel, public transit, flights and hotels were halved
from the previous year. The number of air passengers fell
by more than 90% during March 2020. However, almost 80%
of Norwegian retail chains are now an online store, which
has increased from 70% last year. This shows the ability forsolution-oriented innovation, not just among larger chains but
also smaller stores.
Were there any innovations in payment/delivery methods
or other comments on infrastructure issues?
Click and collect has taken a part of this unique e-commerce
growth, as has contactless payments. It’s also evident that therestaurant industry was largely digitized in 2020.
The issues with infrastructure/logistics were more about
containers from abroad and supply chain issues. They
scaled up Norwegian transportation quite well, new services
were launched, new companies started, so the problem
was predominantly goods from abroad. As for purchasing
groceries online, they did great and cooperated with other
online companies to have their own distribution services

56

SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
People are talking a lot about reduction of packaging,
Styrofoam and cardboard. We continue to see increased
awareness. Interestingly, rental products have become more
relevant. https://sharefox.no/ entered the Norwegian market
in 2016 and has done well with its rental platform.
Norwegian law says repairing and recycling products should
be more sustainable, i.e., if you buy a vacuum cleaner, 5 years
later they should still have what you need for repairing it,
including parts. Being able to go online and order the exact
part you need to make an appliance work is becoming more
important. We’re all having to rethink the value chain, as well
as rethink the way we are living and consuming.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
There are examples where consumers are willing to pay more
if you combine it with quality, uniqueness, marketing andpackaging. We believe consumers are willing to pay more for
a combination of sustainability and quality in mind. That said,
the majority would not wait for their packages, though there iswillingness to pay CO2 offset/taxes.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What are some of the challenges/opportunities for SMEs

“Norwegian law says repairing andrecycling products should be moresustainable, i.e., if you buy a vacuum
cleaner, 5 years later they should still
have what you need for repairing it,
including parts.”
going online?
Many newcomers struggle with little knowledge about
e-commerce and everything it entails. Some of the agencies
working with companies are deficient, while others are
unique. However, there are more opportunities than there arechallenges.
What has made the most successful players in Norway
successful?
Continuous improvement and new development, these are
the key words for those companies. They never stop andalways continue to innovate. Because of this, they are growing
larger and larger and are able to fund some failures – you canlearn a lot from failures.
There is an incredible amount of personalization happening
with chatbots (AI) and other tools to help customers choose
the right product. Active use of customer data is high priority.
It’s interesting to see how the industry can be relevant inmarketing using customer data, and how non-cookies will
impact this in the future.
Are there any new big players in the market?
Amazon entered the Swedish market last year, but still it hasn’t
affected the Norwegian market. They haven’t done that well,in fact, Zalando is much larger in Norway than Amazon. The
people buying from Amazon have typically already done so via
Amazon.co.uk.
Continued on the following page

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NORWAYNORWAYINTERVIEW

Are there any interesting innovations or policies comingup?
Data privacy is a very hot topic in Norway. We don’t know yet,but there are several issues around the use of cookies andwhat customer data companies are allowed to store. All thelarge companies were building up systems for cookies, andnow we’re unsure what will happen due to upcoming laws.
Regarding technology, companies are using a lot of AI and you
see several solutions in the e-commerce market popping up.
We’re looking at different ways of using technologies for good
purposes in the market.
Finally, we follow the discussions on the DSA and DMA closely.
We need better regulations to deal with illegal content andintermediary liability, and we need to adapt regulations to verylarge online platforms.

57“All the large companies were building
up systems for cookies, and now
we’re unsure what will happen due toupcoming laws.”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

SWEDENLIGHT VERSIONSWEDENCHARTS

Currency: Krona

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate

6.04%
3.98%

2.79%

6.04%

6.65%

0.00%

97%

-3.50%

98%

1.00%
1.71%

97%

-3.50%

97%

84%

93%

92%

78%

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce salesn GDP n E-GDP

7.93%-0.66%
95%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

84%

84%

86%

87%

80%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2015 1.15%

2017 1.46%

2019

1.72%

€474

2020

2.42%

€458

2021 (F)

2.60%

SOURCE: IMF

Pinterest: 7%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

58

€476
€478

Instagram: 4%

YouTube: 2%€489

2018 1.52%

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Twitter: 5%€463

2016 1.29%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 81%

VAT: 25%€491

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

NORTHERN EUROPE

SWEDENLIGHT VERSIONSWEDENINTERVIEW

Per Ljungberg
Svensk Digital Handel
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping? Additionally, have you
noticed any specific product categories/retailers thatwere hit hard from lockdown?
Strong growth in e-commerce, sales increased by 40% lastyear. The strongest growth was in groceries (95%), furnitureand home furnishings (63%) and pharmacy products (59%).
Moderate growth rate in clothing and footwear (20%) who also
had a very tough time when it comes to physical trade.
Growth has been strongest from people who previously did
not shop for goods online. Three out of four e-commercecompanies indicate in the annual industry report, thee-barometer, that they have gained new customer groups
during Covid-19. This is especially true for people aged 65 andover.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creating
a more online presence?
Yes. Among other things, the classic department store NK in
Stockholm has launched e-commerce. Many merchants havealso started offering drive-through and click-and-collect. Live
Video Shopping has also increased significantly in Sweden.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
Sweden was already well ahead in online payments thanks
to world leading fintech companies. Home deliveries fromcompanies that use AI for route optimization have increased
sharply. Broad launch of parcel boxes that receive parcels
from all logistics companies is underway.

59

SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability
in e-commerce? What, if at all, are retailers/consumers/
policymakers doing in regard to sustainability ande-commerce?
Returns, reduce the proportion of air in packaging, working
condition of drivers and warehouse workers. Eco-labeling fore-commerce deliveries. Use of nudging in check-outs.
That the industry succeeds in creating an eco-label is important,otherwise politicians threaten legislation for deliveries tobecome more sustainable.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
Consumers claim that in surveys, but we do not yet see it inpractice.
SMES & ENTREPRENEURS
Have you noticed more/less SMEs/entrepreneurs going
online?
Several already established physical retailers are going online,
but we do not assess the influx of new pure e-commercecompanies. Rather, consolidation among e-commerce. It is thelarge established e-commerce companies that take the largest
share of the growth in the market.
What have some of the specific challenges/opportunities
been in your market for SMEs going online?
To gain knowledge and build a strong brand. The e-commercemarket in Sweden is mature with many talented large
e-commerce companies. Hard to compete and reach out.
What do SMEs need in the Swedish market to go online
and be successful?
Cost-effective ways to build knowledge, such as how to workwith SEO and SEM. Support in how to follow legislation.

“Three out of four e-commercecompanies indicate in the annual
industry report, the e-barometer,that they have gained new customer
groups during Covid-19.”

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

LIGHT VERSIONCENTRAL EUROPE
INTERNET USERS

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

82%

82%

85%

88%

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
89%

78%
75%
69%

2017

2018

2019

SOURCES: EUROSTAT; WE ARE SOCIAL; HOOTSUITE

2020

2021 (F)

63%

64%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCES: EUROSTAT; ECOMMERCENEWS; DELOITTE; CMI ANALYSISGDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce salesn GDP n E-GDP
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

2017 1.80%€1,7492018 1.97%€1,787

2019

2.43%

€1,829

2020

3.00%

€1,8962021 (F)

3.35%€1,905

SOURCE: IMF; CMI ANALYSIS

60

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

AUSTRIA

LIGHT VERSIONAUSTRIA
CHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate

4.39%
1.72%
0.72%
0.79%

0.81%
88%

85%

2015

88%

89%

88%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Raten GDP n E-GDP

7.46%

6.01%
2015

1.94%

€312

3.50%

2016

2.01%

€318

76%

2017

2.08%

€327

2018

2.15%

€335

2019

2.19%

€342

2020

2.30%

€348

2021 (F)

2.72%

€353

3.64%
1.00%
0.79%

90%
68%

68%

-0.63%
70%

69%

71%

74%

85%

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 3%
Pinterest: 13%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 78%

Twitter: 4%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

61

VAT: 20%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

AUSTRIA

LIGHT VERSIONAUSTRIA
INTERVIEW

Rainer Will
Handelsverband
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Covid gave online shopping quite a boost in 2020. Last year
we had sales increase 17% in domestic e-commerce, andmarketplaces have grown over 32%. Most consumers had
a seamless shopping experience and discovered how easy
online shopping is and how well it goes. Many consumers over
60 did not shop online before and now they do and will likely
continue to do so. The increase of digitalization in the last 12
months is equivalent to what we would have experienced in
12 years in Austria.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard or did well during the
lockdown?
Virtually all segments in e-commerce benefited from Covid-19.
However, this did not make up for the losses in brick-andmortar retail. The worst hit was the fashion sector, there we
saw about 25% losses, and in toys a decrease of 20%. Shoeretailers also saw a decrease of about 16% in sales. Online
grocery retail grew about 30%, which was a big hit for us
because traditionally this sector had the lowest turnover.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creating
a more robust online presence?
Yes, we saw 2,500 new retailers online, and the pre-existing
12,000 webshops expanded substantially, adding new
payment methods and expanding their presence onto
marketplaces. Many retailers recognized that e-commerce isa resilient sales channel. We didn’t notice any challenges with
our infrastructure or delivery in the beginning of the pandemic,so new retailers were not hindered by logistics.

62

Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
We see a lot of retailers now accepting cryptocurrency, like
Bitcoin. Although it’s still a niche topic, a lot of retailers arestill skeptical about it. That said, it is a good opportunity if you
want to look innovative. We also know several consumers
are experienced with Bitcoin, but they don’t tend to use it for
payment. Cryptocurrencies are popular in Vienna specifically,
and Austrian Post has setup Bitcoin machines.
Austria has always been considered a “cash nation” and thathas partially changed from the pandemic. In the previous year
the volume of ATM cards increased by over 10% and we saw aboost in contactless payments with the limit for pin-code entry
increased from 25 to 50 euros. As for delivery, click-and-collect
was not allowed in the first two lockdowns, but in the third andfourth it is allowed, which has led to an increase of 15% of retailcompanies offering click-and-collect. We’ve switched much
more to an omni-channel e-commerce market.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
We are currently experiencing a massive trend growing insustainability and organic food; in grocery stores, we havegrowth rates of about 30% for organic foods. In e-commerce,the concept of sustainability is booming. More and moreconsumers have a guilty conscience when they shop withforeign retailers or marketplaces who are less sustainable ortax evaders. We are trying to help companies and retailers
transition because this is an important issue for us.
What, if anything, are retailers/consumers/policymakers
doing in terms of sustainability and e-commerce?
At the political level there are many initiatives to curb
corporate tax avoidance, and this is important. There is also
a lot happening around competitive privacy and we are gladthat the exemption of 22 euros is finally fully abolished since
July 2021. Many retailers are trying to switch to sustainableshipping options or offer appropriate reusable boxes. They’realso working hard to reduce return rates in online purchasing
and to make last-mile delivery more environmentally friendly.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What have some of the specific challenges/opportunities
been in your market for SMEs going online?
We had subsidies for SMEs, which started around six months
ago. SMEs can apply and if you’re venture is sustainable then
you can get an even higher amount of funding. The greatest
challenge for online retailers is visibility. It’s extremely difficult
if you have a small webshop or you’ve just started, butthat is where retailers can rely on domestic marketplaces.
Interestingly, we had some digital farmers markets and they
worked really well – local farmers could connect with a startup
and sell over marketplaces, including non-traditionally online
professionals like butchers.
We have a bit of a problem with fraud in e-commerce. Thisis actually a major challenge for new startups and webshops
because most do not have it in mind when they create awebshop. We have seen a huge increase in fraud because
criminals have now moved to the online sector since Covid.
We conducted a study last year and almost 50% of all retailers
have now been victims of fraud. Since then, we’ve started
working together with the police and have a new working
group in Handelsverband dedicated to security in online retail.
Are there any upcoming policies that may impact theAustrian e-commerce market?
This year we have:l VAT e-commerce package came into force in July of 2021.
l The national transposition of the Omnibus-directive (New
Deal for Consumers) and the directive on certain aspects
concerning contracts for the supply of digital content anddigital services and on certain aspects concerning contracts forthe sale of goods.
l Important upcoming e-commerce regulations at EU-level:
DSA/DMA.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPECZECHIA

LIGHT VERSIONCZECHIA
CHARTS

Currency: Koruna

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
2.62%

Growth Rate

2.59%

0.16%
83%

83%

85%

87%

88%

n GDP n E-GDP
10.45% 11.04%

1.10%
89%

90%

2016

80%
65%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

8.00%

5.75%

3.81%

55%
2015

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

17.03%

1.32%
1.37%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

67%

85%

73%

57%
2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)

2015

3.21%

2016

3.40%

2017

3.64%

2018

4.15%

2019

4.65%

€190

2020

5.71%

€195

2021 (F)

6.40%

€195

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 6%
Pinterest: 32%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 48%

Twitter: 8%
YouTube: 3%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

63

VAT: 21%

€155
€163
€170
€185

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPECZECHIA

LIGHT VERSIONCZECHIA
INTERVIEWJan Vetyška
APEK

COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Before the beginning of last year, we expected there would be
an increase of 15% in online turnover for goods (not including
services); in the end, the increase was 26%. Almost 50% of
respondents to our survey said they shopped more online
when Covid-19 lockdowns began. Only grocery stores andpharmacies were open, so if you wanted to order shoes, you
had to do it online.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard from the lockdown?
In the beginning fashion was hit hard, but during the year
fashion rose again and is now back to normal. Most online
shops have grown, and the most successful categories weregroceries and pharmacy/hygiene purchases. Electronics forhome office and home schooling were also successful. We
experienced some infrastructural issues in the first weeks,then they really quickly adapted to the whole situation. From
April 2020 onwards, Czech consumers were not impacted
from Covid-19 logistics issues in their e-commerce purchasing.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creating
a more online presence?
Yes. We have a number of online shops now in Czechia. Numberof online shops increased by 6 % as so many traditionally brickand-mortar stores went online.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
I believe that online payments by card are now on the samelevel as we see in Western Europe. In the past, cash-on-delivery
was the most popular, about 3-4 years back, but now it’s cards,

64

including card-on-delivery. We also have pickup points now,even for smaller stores, and use of automatic boxes is growing.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Sustainability conversations for companies center morearound advertisements to address sustainability, specificallybecause 99% of e-commerce delivery cars are still traditional
vehicles. Though the situation is changing quite quickly. It
was not an issue in Czechia in past years, but we can see now
that the biggest players are trying to change their mind. We
know that the biggest shop in Czechia wants to change theirprocedures to have no extra paper inside, they are planningto purchase electric delivery cars, etc. It’s not yet how it is inWestern Europe, but it is a rising issue. Additionally, there
is nothing coming from the Czech government towards
sustainability in e-commerce, only policies from the EU.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
No. This could be the case in Prague, which is a rich city, but we
see that consumers are more interested in price. If the pricedifference is not huge, then yes they will opt for the sustainableoption, but if there is a large difference between the price, thenthey will opt out.
SMES & ENTREPRENEURS
What have some of the specific challenges andopportunities been in your market for SMEs going online?
A new phenomenon in Czechia is the growing importanceof marketplaces. Both the biggest players have pushed andaccelerated their marketplaces programs, so I think this is aninteresting new aspect to the market. Most SMEs have theirown website and use marketplaces. It’s not difficult for retailers
to get online, there are so many services available to them.
What are your thoughts on the e-commerce VAT
implementation?

“Most SMEs have their own website
and use marketplaces. It’s not difficult
for retailers to get online, there are somany services available to them.”
Our association position is that all companies on the market
should have the same rules, so if Czech companies have to pay
the VAT, then companies from outside Czechia should have todo the same. We fully support that the market should have thesame rules and a level playing field.
Which countries are the most likely cross-border partners
for Czech retailers?
Slovakia – most online shops can delivery easily to Slovakia, sothey are a big partner for retailers. Hungary has also become
very popular amongst larger companies, as is Romania.
Naturally, Germany, Austria and Poland are interesting markets
for Czech retailers, but the markets are highly competitive,
saturated and have tough legislation and regulations.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

HUNGARY

LIGHT VERSIONHUNGARY
CHARTS

Currency: Forint

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate
4.82%

6.31%

18.93%
3.35%-0.23%
81%
76%

2015

2016

79%

2017

79%

2018

83%

2019

86%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

22.62%n GDP n E-GDP

8.57%
2.00%

-2.70%GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

7.00%

5.88%

88%

-0.67%

70%

73%

59%

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

47%

48%

49%

2015

2016

2017

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

52%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2015 1.07%€78.6

2016 1.23%€80.4

2017 1.40%

€87.9

2019

1.71%

€88.2

2020

2.33%

€87.7

2021 (F)

2.78%

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Instagram: 1%
Pinterest: 5%This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Twitter: 2%
YouTube: 0%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

65

€83.8

2018 1.51%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 92%

VAT: 27%€83.8

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

HUNGARY

LIGHT VERSIONHUNGARY
INTERVIEW

Norbert Madar
GKI Digital
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
The pandemic began more than one year ago in the Hungarianand European market(s), but various restrictions and rules
have shaped everyday life and, with it, shopping habits.
During the period of closures, we typically experienced astronger shift towards online shopping, while during theperiod of less strict restrictions there was a reorganization.
The number of online shoppers did not increase dramatically(+80,000 / +2.3% new shoppers), however shopping frequency(18%) and basket value (20%) increased significantly in 2020
compared to previous years’ growth.
The preferences associated with online shopping also changed:
the number of pre-paid orders has increased, thus reducing
the share of cash on delivery (that is otherwise very high on
the Hungarian market: 34% vs. 27% in 2019). Also, payment
at delivery by credit card has become more common (28% vs.
22% in 2019).
Since the start of the pandemic, the rate of home delivery
increased, and the proportion of personal contact receipts
decreased – the share of orders delivered by external courier
service increased by 12% instead of the stagnation in previous
years, from 52% to 64%.
Although there is a reorganization, it is expected that thechanged shopping patterns and habits will also shape the“new normal” period expected in the second half of 2021.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard from the lockdown?

66

FMCG (+51%) and game and culture (+36%) were the biggest
winners in 2020, but DIY, clothing, sports and fashion also grewsignificantly.
The pandemic situation has led shoppers towards retailers withhigh stock and selling wide range of products (online shopping
malls). Also, retailers that have already been tried and trusted
gained more transactions. TOP retailers experienced higher
volume growth than the market average.
Did the lockdown(s) impact retailers going online orcreating a more robust online presence?
Yes, in 2020, online became the most important selling
channel – the pandemic situation forced retailers to develop
their online presence. Developing a website is time consuming,but marketplaces (like the market leading eMAG marketplace),and ready-to-use webshops (like Shopify and Shoprenter)
were available and helped retailers in the quick go-to-market
strategy.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown(s)?
The Hungarian market is well-developed in terms of payment
solutions, delivery methods, and the service level of logistics.
Since almost all the services that are popular in the world areavailable, it was not so much the emergence of innovative
solutions as their use that characterized this period. Minor
modifications have been made – contact-free pick-up solutions
have appeared very quickly.
The most important thing, however, is that customers havebecome more open to new solutions, so the market has beenable to improve in this respect as well.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
The issue of sustainability is currently much less decisive in
online commerce than in traditional retail. There are good
examples, but for the time being it is not common to have a“Although there is a reorganization,
it is expected that the changed
shopping patterns and habits will
also shape the “new normal” period
expected in the second half of 2021.”
sustainability policy for online retailers and suppliers.
What, if at all, are retailers/consumers/policymakers
doing in regard to sustainability and e-commerce?
Unfortunately, not much. There are some good examples (likepackaging solutions, zero emissions logistics center), but it’s notcommon. Also, only a low percentage of customers consider
sustainability an important factor when making decisions andordering. The pandemic made this even worse – hopefully,
after Covid-19 is over, it will change.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
No, not really. The average Hungarian online customer is very
price sensitive – only a very small amount of them is considering
sustainability as a factor in decision making, and most of themwould not pay extra for this. Some retailers are forcing it – likethere is no choice but having a paper bag instead of plastic –customers like that idea, but they do not pay extra for it.
SMES & ENTREPRENEURS
What have some of the specific challenges/opportunities
been in your market for SMEs going online?
l The stakeholder management dilemma (the owner’s will isstronger than that of managers)l Make or buy strategyl Organizational integration vs. outsourcing (be it online
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

HUNGARY
INTERVIEW

division, separate organization or vertically distributed online
post within the company)l Connection-driven operation vs. data-driven operation(=organizational culture change)
What specifically do SMEs need in the Hungarian market
to go online and be successful?
First of all, they need to learn about digital solutions, online
marketing possibilities. Also, it would be important tounderstand who their customers are and why they chose theretailer, and how to reach more – data-driven operation is ahuge challenge for retailers who have no staff, resources orexperience.

67

HUNGARY

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

POLAND

LIGHT VERSIONPOLANDCHARTS

Currency: Zloty

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate
3.70%

7.02%

75%

78%

79%

85%

82%

72%

2017

2018

2015 1.38%

€386

6.00%

2016 1.52%

€398

74%

2017 2.05%

€411

66%
53%

2016

4.69%

87%

70%
2015

n GDP n E-GDP

14.08% 12.96%

7.61%

2.50%

1.20%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

13.07%

3.55%

3.90%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

56%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

58%

2017

60%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)

2018

2.20%

€457

2019

3.60%

€454

2020

4.67%

€469

2021 (F)

5.37%

€461

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 3%
Pinterest: 9%This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 80%

Twitter: 6%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

68

VAT: 23%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

POLAND

LIGHT VERSIONPOLAND
INTERVIEW

Patrycja SassStaniszewska
EIZBA

COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
The Polish e-commerce market in 2020 was estimated at 100
billion PLN.
A year ago, in May 2020, 72% of respondents declared online
shopping. Currently, it is 84%, which means an increase of + 12
pp. A smaller percentage of Internet users than a year ago buy
more than five times a month (13%).
Poles internet users buy online mainly from online stores andshopping platforms, so the leaders have not changed. We havea visible increase in the use of price comparison websites, as
Polish consumers have become more price-sensitive as aresult of the pandemic.
The most popular e-category is fashion, but indications forbeauty, sports, home furnishings, as well as culture andentertainment categories have risen. The share of the foodcategory is stable from a significant increase after the firstwave of the pandemic.
The importance of searching for opinions about a productin the purchasing process has increased. During the lastpurchase, this activity was performed by as many as 38% of
respondents, and 27% compared the offers.
Foreign purchasing platforms - 12% of internet users use
foreign platforms, and 16% of mobile buyers. Online shoppingin e-shops outside Poland was done by 10% of internet users
in the last year.

69

Coronavirus has had a positive impact on purchases on suchplatforms. 28% of customers declared that as a result of thepandemic they increased their purchases, and in the case of
the other 46% they remained unchanged.
Dynamic development of the e-grocery in Poland.
New customer group grows fast – Seniors.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard from the lockdown?
Pandemic hit hard especially on horeca, tourism and events
markets.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creating
a more online presence?
Yes, even in food category and B2B sector.
Retailers have changed the way they manage their budgets
with an emphasis on e-commerce.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
Consumers’ expectations have increased significantly, they
expect a wide choice of both delivery and payment methods.
This is a characteristic feature of the Polish consumer, used to
the fact that in every store or on a marketplace platform, they
get the widest choice of options when it comes to payment
methods - fast transfer, Blik, card or cash. These are strong
distinguishing features of purchasing attitudes, the consumer
wants to have a wide choice, and our report confirms that it
is not only expectations - if the consumer does not see his
favorite payment method they will give up shopping andabandon the basket. Poles most often pay online using fasttransfers (similar to a year ago). Other most frequently selected
payment methods are again, blik and deli, respectively.

“If the consumer does not see his
favorite payment method they will
give up shopping and abandon thebasket.”conditions?
l 1/5 will wait for eco-delivery, even 3-5 days more
l 1/5 will pay for eco-packaging options
l Generally, 85% of e-consumers notice non-ecologicalactivities of sellers
l Deliveries - consumer specialization: When buying online,
Poles typically have one preferred form of delivery theychoose. It is usually a courier shipment, and then collection at
a dedicated point, which has almost already caught up with thecourier shipment in terms of the number of indications. It isalso considered the most convenient and most popular, as wellas ecological. But that’s not all; consumers also indicate thatthey want more convenient forms of delivery. Of course, thepopularity of parcel machines is growing a lot, but customers
go a step further; they want to have them as close to home as
possible. If they wish to have free deliveries and free returns,
they are basically all shop.
SMES & ENTREPRENEURS
The coronavirus pandemic revolutionized the e-commerce
sector in two ways. First, it has changed the purchasing habitsof consumers who like online shopping, primarily because
of security, such as speed and simplicity. Secondly, it forced
businesses to digitally transform and adapt to new realities
more efficiently. Not only the most prominent players but also
representatives of the SME sector have joined the online sales
channel.

SUSTAINABILITY
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind? If yes, under what

Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

POLAND
INTERVIEW

Have you noticed more/less SMEs/entrepreneurs going
online, both before/during/after Covid-19?
Over 11000 shops went online since March to December 2020
(around 30% with no success = closed).
What have some of the specific challenges/opportunities
been in your market for SMEs going online?
Challenges: Price sensitivity of Polish consumers (promo
hunters, even more in crisis times), specific payment
requirements (BLIK) and delivery requirements (paczkomaty).
Opportunities: dynamic growth of e-commerce, newconsumers in e-commerce – Siver Power generation,international purchases growth (young consumers).
Investment in technology, because Polish consumers love
shops that are based on new technology.
Leading Companies: Allegro more than 30% of the market.
SMEs are 90% of the Polish e-commerce market.

70

POLAND

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPESLOVAK REPUBLIC

LIGHT VERSIONSLOVAK REPUBLIC
CHARTSINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

7.11%

0.11%

83%

83%

0.09%

3.00%

83%

91%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Growth Raten GDP n E-GDP

14.36%
2.48%

94%
68%

85%

2.80%

2.48%
3.05%

1.52%

70%

71%

2.58%
71%
68%

68%

2015 0.58%€79.1

2017 0.74%€81.6

2018 0.82%
2019 0.92%

61%

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2021 (F)

1.16%

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 2%
Pinterest: 13%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 79%

Twitter: 3%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

71

€76.7

2016 0.66%

2020 1.09%
2015

VAT: 20%GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

2.59%

81%

Currency: Euro

€85.0
€88.1
€91.2
€94.1

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPESLOVENIA

LIGHT VERSIONSLOVENIACHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

5.37%
3.74%

80%
75%

2015

81%

Growth Rate

84%

88%

2018

14.30%

3.43%

52%

2017

2019

2020

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

53%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

57%

2017

n GDP n E-GDP

11.99%
8.68%

89%

76%

2016

13.33%

1.70%

1.32%

1.48%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

4.78%

63%

2018

66%

2019

72%

2020

2015 0.63%

€36.9

9.00%

2016 0.69%

€38.1

77%

2017 0.74%

2021 (F)€41.8

2019 0.85%€43.22020 1.01%€44.4

2021 (F) 1.09%€45.6

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Instagram: 1%
Pinterest: 6%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Twitter: 3%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

72

€39.9

2018 0.78%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 87%

VAT: 22%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

SWITZERLAND

LIGHT VERSIONSWITZERLAND
CHARTSINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

3.63%

2015 1.14%

87%

89%

90%

2.00%
0.83%
90%

93%

96%

0.81%

97%

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT; WE ARE SOCIAL; HOOTSUITE

2.06%

4.13%
90%

80%

2015

n GDP n E-GDP

7.20%

3.32%
2.04%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

12.37%

Growth Rate

2015

83%

2016

82%

2017

83%

2018

2016 1.11%

€618

93%

2017 1.25%€635

2018 1.34%

SOURCE: EUROSTAT; ECOMMERCE NEWS; DELOITTE

2019 1.45%

20202021 (F)€661

2021 (F)

1.94%

€672

SOURCE: IMF

Instagram: 3%
Pinterest: 20%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

YouTube: 2%
SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

73

€623

1.88%

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Twitter: 9%

€595

2020

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 63%

€549

5.50%

83%

2019

VAT: 7.7%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate
4.13%

Currency: Swiss FrancEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

SWITZERLAND

LIGHT VERSIONSWITZERLAND
INTERVIEW

Patrick Kessler

HANDELSVERBAND.swiss
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
In the first wave of lockdown we saw product categories andassortments which were not typically online explode in the
e-commerce market, particularly home living, DIY and sports
goods. We see now that we don’t have the same levels of online
purchasing that we had during lockdown, but we have higher
levels of online shopping, around 30-40%, which remained
over all periods. The willingness of people to shop online has
increased dramatically and it seems it won’t go away.
Additionally, we have noticed a change in payment behavior
with many more credit card payments being used. Switzerland
was around 70% invoice, but we have seen a move towards
paying via credit cards and PayPal. Food purchasing online has
increased dramatically as well.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard during the lockdown?
The under-performer in terms of growth was fashion andshoes – we had about 15% growth and the average was 30%
growth. On the other hand, department store retail has lostmuch more in fashion retail. We’ve had an overall growth inmost of non-food assortments, so e-commerce + department
store business had overall growth in 2020.
It could be attributed to the welfare we have in Switzerland– consumers had their money and as they couldn’t go out,
they spent money consuming whatever they needed to makestaying at home nicer. That’s unique about Switzerland: there
is money around.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creating74

a more online presence?
Companies definitely started to go online. There weren’t a lotof companies not online in that period of time. Lots of SMEs
were jumping into the adventure to participate in selling online,
not really with a store per se, but with WhatsApp, Instagram,
QR codes, anything to activate consumers by digital means. Of
course, there were some attempts to really set up new online
shops, but the time to do so was rather short because we had
shutdown of just 8-9 weeks. Existing online shops experienced
huge growth and are continuing to grow. The most successful
stories are the omnichannel players selling both online and instore.
What was your experience with online grocery/fooddelivery in Switzerland?
We have a very strong food infrastructure and two dominantbrands with physical stores covering 50% of the market andthey are in every corner in every village. So, food delivery isreally not a necessity in Switzerland, it’s just nice to have. Swiss
people like to cook, so food stores overall had an increase of
11-12% in terms of turnover. There was a boost for restaurantdelivery services, but we are still underdeveloped in terms offood delivery because our labor costs are so high. For a single
household, delivery is very expensive as opposed to a large
group of people/families.
Any innovations or challenges during the lockdown?
Click and collect increased in the home and living and DIY
product categories very strongly. So, 2020 was a breakthroughyear for those product categories. We had some shops overrun
with traffic who installed a second website before you entered
the online shop to queue visitors, saying, “You have to wait
10 minutes before you can go to the online shop.” They really
couldn’t cope with the traffic generated.
We had some logistics problems – in April 2020 there wasa limit of what you can deliver per day because Swiss Post
(which delivers 90% of parcels) couldn’t handle all the volume.
We experienced one week of limitations in delivery and thenwe found solutions together to create a work-around. By midApril everything was organized and stable, though everything“There was a boost for restaurantdelivery services, but we are still
underdeveloped in terms of fooddelivery because our labor costs are
so high.”
was running at such a high capacity that any problem, such asa winter storm in December, would have broken the system
down.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
It hasn’t changed that much. With the online boom there is
the idea that online shopping is bad for the ecological system,so this discussion is ongoing, particularly regarding last-miledelivery. We have a new parcel service establishing electricvehicles which has the goal of covering 80% of Switzerland
within 3 years. Swiss Post is also investing in green delivery, so
my bet is that by 2030 the last mile will be green.
The other interesting point with this is packaging. There areinteresting pilots in development to deliver without packaging;some companies are conducting pilot tests delivering acomputer without additional packaging and even without anaddress, just a digital connection delivery chain.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
Overall, I would say consumers are willing to pay a little more,
but the period we had last year during Covid was not theperiod to implement such mechanisms. Last year was purecrisis mode – we were blown away with orders, just deliver,deliver, deliver. I’m sure consumers are going in this direction
because the mindset of Swiss people seems to be quite green.
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

CENTRAL EUROPE

SWITZERLANDSWITZERLAND
INTERVIEW

ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What specifically do SMEs need in your market to go online
and be successful?
It’s advantageous to offer payment in Swiss Francs, as well as
offering payment against invoice. Regarding language, it’s best
to offer German, French and/or English. Some insight into Swissconsumers: they do not like to bear additional costs when theyreceive the cross-border delivery, so be sure you have paid
all the VAT beforehand – do not charge your customer extra.
Swiss consumers do not like aggressive marketing tactics, so
do not send them a newsletter every day.
Are there any upcoming e-commerce policies in the Swiss
market?
Anti-GEO blocking regulations will be up for a public vote anda fair-price initiative. The goal is to get companies to deliver to
Switzerland at the same price level as Germany, France, etc., sothere will be regulation pressure to ensure there are no pricedifferentiations. We also have new data protection regulations
coming for 2022, though the exact date is unclear. Related todata privacy, we recently had a vote about e-IDs and the Swiss
voted against having private companies involved, preferring it
be government-oriented for the public.

75“The goal is to get companies todeliver to Switzerland at the same
price level as Germany, France,
etc., so there will be regulationpressure to ensure there are no pricedifferentiations.”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

LIGHT VERSION

EASTERN EUROPE
INTERNET USERS

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

76%

77%

77%

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
78%
44%

41%

72%
34%

37%

24%

2017

2018

2019

2020

SOURCES: EUROSTAT; STATISTA; WE ARE SOCIAL; HOOTSUITE

2021 (F)

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCES: EUROSTAT; UNCTAD; STATISTA

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce salesn GDP n E-GDP
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

2017 1.18%
2018

1.39%

2019

1.74%

2020

2.53%

2021 (F)

2.66%

SOURCES: IMF; CMI ANALYSIS

76€1,865€1,756€1,855€1,743€2,122EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

ALBANIA

LIGHT VERSIONALBANIA
CHARTS

Currency: Lek

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

53.69%
2.65%

72%
66%

2016

n GDP n E-GDP

7.62%

4.61%

2015

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Growth Rate

9.01%

63%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

-9.77%
70%

72%

1.00%

2017

2018

2019

28%

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: STATISTA; WE ARE SOCIAL; HOOTSUITE

2017 0.75%
16.06%

73%

65%

2017
SOURCE: STATISTA

31%

2018

36%

2.67%

2.64%

37%

38%

2018 0.94%
2019 1.10%

2019

2020

2021 (F)

2020

1.38%

2021 (F)

1.56%

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 2%
Pinterest: 5%This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 89%

Twitter: 2%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

77

VAT: 20%

€5.84
€6.16
€6.82
€7.26
€7.54

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

BULGARIA

LIGHT VERSIONBULGARIA
CHARTS

Currency: Lev

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
5.71%

3.46%
0.79%
71%
66%

60%
2015

74%

2017

5.71%

2.50%

5.20%

76%

31%

2019

2020

42%

-10.6%

67%2018

n GDP n E-GDP
2015 0.68%€41.1

15.00%

2016 0.74%

€42.7

47%

2017 1.15%€44.4

2018 1.51%

€45.8

2019

1.89%

€47.3

2020

2.00%

€48.7

2021 (F)

2.50%

€50.1

15.72%

62%

2016

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

40.17%

Growth Rate

5.20%

2.65%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

27%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

27%

2017

31%

2018

31%

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 1%
Pinterest: 1%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 97%

Twitter: 1%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

78

VAT: 20%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

BULGARIA

LIGHT VERSIONBULGARIA
INTERVIEW

Janet Naidenova
Bulgarian E-commerce
Association
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Consumers changed their habits during the pandemic. They
worked from home, children learned from home, played
sports and had fun at home. They bought electronics for workand study, upgraded internet plans, bought books, games
and toys, bought small sports equipment to keep fit, bought
health and personal care products, detergents and household
supplies and food.
The pandemic created new trends: a clear increase in
consumption at home and an increase in online shopping inthis segment, growth in consumers shopping online. Morewere buying food products online and preparing their own
food rather than ordering ready-made food at home during
the pandemic. We are also seeing a trend for more online
payments, less cash-on-delivery due to fear of infection via
banknotes.
Have you noticed any specific products categories thatwere hit hard or did well during the lockdown(s)?
Home electronics and office supplies, like laptops, tablets,
printers, webcams, consoles, video games, office andgaming chairs, books and toys, sports equipment, masks
and disinfectants, health and personal care products, foodproducts, household consumables and detergents – all ofthese categories increased in demand by 40-60%. Online
grocery stores grew by over 100% due to the increased
number of orders. They changed their business processes,
hired new employees and introduced shift work to deliver
orders on time.
During the lockdown, there was a decrease in sales in clothing,79

shoes, car parts, travel, hotel reservations, tourist packages, airtickets, tickets for sports events and concerts. Online stores insaw a decline in these categories of 70-80% compared to theirsales before the pandemic.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creating
a more robust online presence?
The past pandemic year was a turning point for thedevelopment of e-commerce. E-commerce has become amajor channel through which a number of companies keep intouch with their customers. The Covid pandemic accelerated
the digital transformation of businesses in Bulgaria andaccelerated the merger of physical and online trade. This
readjustment has permanently transformed the retail market.
There is great flexibility of small farm shops, which quickly
managed to start an e-shop and start offering products
online. The pandemic also accelerated the supply of online
shopping opportunities by large chains. Chains have long
delayed the addition of an online sales channel to the classic
offline shopping channel, but the pandemic has significantly
accelerated this channel’s development process.
Where there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
These are some specific examples during the pandemic:
I. Completely offline business – workshop for coloring ceramics
in Sofia completely transforms the online business model, in
about 10 days during the state of emergency transforms themodel, processes, launches an online store and has orders.
II. Completely offline business creates a landing page with theability to purchase, send a link with bank payment, contactless
payment and contactless delivery.
III. Your favorite beer, restaurant, bakery now take orders
onlineIV. Taxis have become couriers for the delivery of online orders“The Covid pandemic accelerated thedigital transformation of businesses
in Bulgaria and accelerated themerger of physical and online trade.”
V. Online concerts
VI. Online clubs
Additionally, a new VibeMarket service from Mastercard and
myPOS was launched during the state of emergency, whichhelps small businesses trade directly in the popular Bulgaria
Viber application. Through Vibe Market, merchants can offer
goods and services directly in the Viber community they havecreated.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face today,and like all other industries, e-commerce plays a role. The goodnews is that small changes can lead to big results. We believe
it is important to promote sensible and sustainable consumer
behavior.
What, if at all, are retailers/consumers/policymakers
doing in regard to sustainability and e-commerce?
We have a leading example of a sustainable Bulgarian brand for
e-commerce with a unique business model. Remixshop.com
is one of the leading online stores for branded second-handand outlet fashion in Europe, operating in 9 countries (Austria,
Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Czech
Republic and Hungary). In addition to purchasing, customers
can also send their reserved clothes and accessories toremixshop.com for sale through their service. The company
believes in the green side of fashion andContinued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

BULGARIA

BULGARIA
INTERVIEW

therefore gives a second life to the preserved and almost new
clothes and accessories, standing behind their motto: “reuse,
reduce, remix”.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
Environmental friendliness affects online sales. Brands are
expected to take the green consumer wave, with many
consumers acknowledging that they have been influenced byenvironmental concerns when making a purchase decision.
The renewed focus on environmental sustainability is a clear
sign that online stores need to grow in line with environmental
practices. Companies can do this by making sure that a greener
online sales environment is created by supplying products
only from fair trade organizations.
Another major factor driving green consumerism is the
emergence of Millennials as a stable group of buyers. Membersof this generation are interested in nature-friendly products.
This demand for green products is driving e-commercecompanies to adopt environmentally friendly practices.
As consumers become more motivated by sustainability rather
than price, second-hand sales of luxury items will change theindustry. This is an interesting opportunity for brands to open
their own market for ReCommerce and turn second-hand
shopping into an exciting experience.
SMES & ENTREPRENEURS
Have you noticed more SMEs or entrepreneurs going
online?
For 2020 there was an increase of 46% of new installationsof platforms for online stores compared to 2019 according
to Superhosting.BG. There is also growth in the new stores
created with the Shopiko platform of the hosting company.
They increased by 18% compared to 2019. The strongest
interested was in creating new stores in April, follow by
October and November 2020. The growth of domains in the.shop zone in 2020 compared to 2019 is 52%

80“Small entrepreneurs are in abetter and more flexible position.
They can quickly set up an e-shopand start offering products online
immediately.”
What have some of the specific challenges/opportunities
been in the Bulgarian market for SMEs going online?
The two main challenges for SMEs are:l Increasing the efficiency of ‘Omni channel’ marketinginvestments and optimizing the ‘conversion rate’ acrossmultiple channels, while providing personal experience andexperience in the shopping processl Supply chains need to adapt to customer expectations
What do SMEs need in the Bulgarian market to go online
and be successful?
Small entrepreneurs are in a better and more flexible position.
They can quickly set up an e-shop and start offering products
online immediately. There is increased interest in starting an
online business, as the Coronavirus pandemic has accelerated
the digital transformation of businesses in Bulgaria. Thereis also more activity from retailers, uploading products tomarketplace platforms and online classified sites, all hoping tosell in these difficult times.
The challenging part begins after the launch of an online
store – online marketing, integrations and analysis. However,new online stores will need time to start operating effectively,
marketing and serving their online customers, so the positiveeffect on sales will not be immediately felt.

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

CROATIA

LIGHT VERSIONCROATIA
CHARTS

Currency: Kuna

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate

9.45%

22.48%

4.60%

3.63%

1.00%

26.86%

80%

71%

2015

80%

n GDP n E-GDP

5.98%

81%

69%

2016

2017

2018

69%

-13.51%

76%

74%

2019

2020

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

20.32%-0.61%-7.33%GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

44%

45%

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

42%

2017

2015 0.66%€42.4

10.00%

2016 0.72%

€43.9

75%

2017 0.64%€46.2

2018 0.79%€47.82019 0.99%€49.1

2020 1.28%€50.32021 (F) 1.47%

€51.1

57%
47%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 1%
Pinterest: 6%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 87%

Twitter: 4%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER81

VAT: 25%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

CROATIA

LIGHT VERSIONCROATIA
INTERVIEW

Marcel Majsan
eCommerce Hrvatska
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Due to the pandemic, there’s a big increase in new online
customers that had not shopped online before, especiallyconsumers of older age. They continued to buy even after
shops were open, so I think we will continue to see an increasein online buyers even after Covid. In Croatia, cash-on-delivery
is still a strong preference among consumers and consists ofover 50% of online purchases. Our association members inthe service industry tell us consumers want to buy with credit
card, but retailers and webshops experience 50-80% of online
orders as cash-on-delivery. This is predominantly due to lack oftrust in online shops.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard (or did well) due to the
lockdown?
Except for travel and tourism, we did not have categories thatstruggled during this period, but I see the greatest opportunity
in online stores offering food and hygiene. In the FMCG sector
we only had one online store, and when the lockdown began
their sales increased 100 times and they have no competitionin the sector right now, so this is a big opportunity for new
online retailers. We saw a large increase in selling domestic
products, fashion and technology have continued to do welland are increasing, and sports gear has also increased.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creating
a more online presence?
We noticed one new category of sellers that began going online:
family farms, selling fruits, vegetables and animal products.
They were forced to go online in a short time because of thecrisis and didn’t have another way to sell their products other82

than online. The government also started promotion andonline surveys for a marketplaces specifically for family farms,
and I believe this is the best way for them to start selling online.
They struggle a bit because they are not digitally as savvy andare not aware of regulations, how to start an online shop,
logistics, customer relations, etc.

are damaged; by EU law, online retailers cannot charge thebuyer for returns within 14 days, and our inspectors typicallyrule in favor of buyers rather than retailers, even if the goods
are damaged. Therefore, one of the main challenges for SMEs
selling online is more laws protecting purchasers rather thansellers.

Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
Yes, there was one trend from our largest Croatian bank, theycreated a wallet payment that was integrated into the mostpopular e-commerce platform. This wallet payment connects
to a bank and makes online payments easier, directly frombuyer to seller. You can login to PayPal but you don’t haveto enter credit card details, and if you have an app you canconfirm with your fingerprint. Additionally, our biggest online
marketplace started a pickup point in Zagreb so consumers
had same-day pickup. Due to this, some delivery providers
increased their number of pickup points, though they are still
not used extensively. Last year, less than 20% of consumers
surveyed wanted to use pickup points, so it’s not yet very
popular but it is increasing.

What do SMEs need in your market to go online and be
successful?
They need help with laws and regulations, and typically help
setting up an online store. We at the association help byteaching them how to go online, sell online, and give customer
support in our e-commerce academy. A good first step towards
selling online in Croatia is to join our association Facebook
group, which is very helpful because seven-thousand online
retailers help each other.

SMES & ENTREPRENEURS
Have you noticed more/less SMEs and entrepreneurs
going online since Covid-19?
Yes, we aren’t sure how many, but we have a Facebook groupwith seven-thousand members and it’s growing quickly andis more active. Our association has been making e-bookswith guidelines for selling online and we have thousands ofdownloads now.
What have some of the challenges and opportunities been
in your market for SMEs going online?
The biggest opportunity is in the FMCG category, food andhygiene. Apart from that sector, the biggest challenge for SMEs
going online is regulation. We have some older e-commercelaws, and it can be hard to follow the regulation without alawyer. Just last week the CEO of a marketplace complainedthat they have issues with consumers returning goods thatCan you talk a bit about cross-border e-commerce?
If you want to sell into Serbia or neighboring countries thatare not in the EU, online retailers will have added challenges
in taxes and delivery costs. It would be easier to set up acompany and logistics center in Serbia rather than to sellcross-border from Croatia. It terms of the shared language, itis easier to sell to Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro. Additionally,
it’s not a problem to sell into Slovenia, online retailers just needto translate their webshops. Overall, we are in a perfect spot toreach multiple markets.
What has made the leading e-commerce players successful
in your market?
Croatians have more trust in your online shop if you have abrick-and-mortar store. So, if you have a big brand name, an
online presence and a quality webshop, you will be successful.
If you start a pure e-commerce brand, you will need to invest
quite a bit into marketing to gain trust or have incredibly low
prices. Omnichannel is best.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

MOLDOVA

LIGHT VERSIONMOLDOVA
CHARTS

Currency: Leu

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

69%

2015

71%

-0.19%-0.21%

76%

76%

76%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: STATISTA; WE ARE SOCIAL; HOOTSUITE

2017
SOURCE: STATISTA

26%

2018

2017 0.34%

13.07%
1.04%

15.14%-0.27%
76%n GDP n E-GDP

48.46%-0.09%

23%

2016

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Growth Rate

2.78%

76%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

6.88%

30%

2019

34%

2018 0.49%
2019 0.66%

2020

2021 (F)2021 (F) 1.11%€11.85

SOURCE: IMF

Pinterest: 10%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

83€10.38€11.77Instagram: 2%

YouTube: 2%€9.392020 0.88%

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Twitter: 4%

€8.58

34%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 80%

VAT: 20%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPENORTH MACEDONIA

LIGHT VERSIONNORTH MACEDONIACHARTSINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

1.20%
1.39%
81%
73%

75%

17.59%

1.26%
82%

84%

1.39%

85%

31%

76%
16%

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce salesn GDP n E-GDP

28.51%

2.43%

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

20%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

36%

13.82% 11.00%

40%

44%

20%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2015 1.07%€6.77

2016 1.30%€6.96

2017 1.62%€6.98

2018 1.94%

€7.16

2019

2.38%

€7.38

2020

3.16%

€7.61

2021 (F)

3.83%

€7.85

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 1%
Pinterest: 2%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 95%

Twitter: 1%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER84

VAT: 18%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
65.27%
Growth Rate

6.63%

2.81%

Currency: Denar

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPENORTH MACEDONIA

LIGHT VERSIONNORTH MACEDONIAINTERVIEW

Nina Angelovska
Macedonian Ecommerce
Association
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behavior andpreferences in online shopping?
According to data from the National Bank, online transactions
to domestic e-shops noted an increase of 135% in 2020,
compared to 2019. However, this data includes utility bills,
payments and other services, which means it’s not all retail oronline shopping.
According to our survey, conducted on 2.800 e-shoppers, 46%
said that Covid did not affect or change their habits, and 37%
said that as a result of Covid, they started buying more online
and increased the number of orders they were making preCovid. Additionally, 20% started using e-government services
for the first time. When asking respondents if these habits will
stay, the majority said they intend to keep shopping online at
this increased rate.
The restrictive measures imposed by the Government due
to Covid have pushed people to change their behaviour. Asa country with very low digital skills, this has pushed people
to increase their digital skills during this time. The selling
propositions of e-commerce during the pandemic wereno longer “saving time and more convenience” but rather
protecting our health or simply not having another choiceduring lockdowns and restrictive measures imposed by theGovernment. That was a very important factor in accelerating
and pushing people to learn how to pay their bills online, how
to shop groceries online etc.
Have you noticed specific product categories or retailers
hit hard from the lockdown(s)?
E-commerce turnover to foreign e-shops and platforms
dropped significantly in 2020 due to booking hotels, travel, and85

airline tickets. The most sold product online is still apparel –there was actually an increase due to Covid. Previously, grocery
shopping online was extremely small, but has grown, and it isexpected that people will continue using online supermarkets
to have groceries delivered at home.
How did the infrastructure fare with the increase in online
shopping from Covid-19?
The increased volumes imposed challenges for e-retailers,delivery in particular. However there were businesses thatwere ready to respond to the challenges and capitalize on
the opportunities. Some adapted with introducing contactlessdelivery and other Covid-related measures.
There are around 40 logistics delivery companies in North
Macedonia. The pandemic increased domestic online
shopping, increasing proportionally the business of the delivery
companies. The challenges of the delivery companies were on
one hand from the tech side, how to make their systems more
efficient and handle the increase, but on the human resources
side as well. As this is a very people-intensive industry, having
one positive Covid case meant interrupting the whole chain
and process due to isolation of others. Many increased their
number of employees and vehicles to cope.
Were there any initiatives towards helping SMEs get online
or stay afloat, or any digitalization initiatives?
I was part of the Government, as Minister of Finance until
September 2020. We designed many COVID measures tosupport the business sector…putting focus not only on the“What” but the “Why” and “How”. With one of the measuresthat was aiming to stimulate domestic consumption by giving
financial assistance to targeted groups of people, we designed
the measure in a way that people get it via payment cards, beable to spend it to the affected sectors aiming to also achieve
other more systematic goals like speeding up our way towards
a cashless society, more payment cards usage (at physical andonline shops), more POS terminals. The fund for innovationand technology development had some initiatives for small
grants to help with digital tools. There were interest-free loans
from the Development Bank with a grant component for“Previously, grocery shopping online
was extremely small, but has grown,
and it is expected that people willcontinue using online supermarkets
to have groceries delivered at home. ”
MSMEs who will apply e-commerce or digitalize processes.
Additionally, the Association helped with the transition
to online commerce. With the project “Ecommerce forall” supported by USAID Business Ecosystem Project, theEcommerce4all.mk platform was launched that represents
a knowledge and resource center for all existing and new
e-commerce companies. As part of the project, the Association
also contributed to increasing the digital skills of over 150
MSMEs via the organized learn-a-thons and helped 40 MSMEs
open their e-shop or join a marketplace through the financial
and advisory support it provided.
Digitalization has definitely been put higher on the agenda
now since Covid-19.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
Regarding payments, there is a new law that is expected
to be adopted soon that will open the landscape for fintech
companies. PayPal is available only for paying, but notreceiving. Domestic companies can only connect with one of
the five banks for e-payment processing, so there haven’t been
any innovations on the payment side during the pandemic.
Regarding delivery, many companies introduced contactlessdelivery during the pandemic making people feel safer
with limited body contact. Some delivery companies began
investing in new software and digital processes.
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPENORTH MACEDONIANORTH MACEDONIAINTERVIEW

I think that overall, as a country we managed to capitalize on
the opportunities brought by Covid as we were navigating thechallenges, but we could have done much better. And this isdue to many underlying weaknesses of our society, i.e., lackof readiness for the digital economy, ability to apply digitalsolutions quickly, low digital skills of our nation, capacity andskills for fast adaptions, etc.
What are policymakers doing in regard to e-commerce?
E-commerce is getting more attention with the onset of thepandemic among policymakers and international donororganizations as well. There are plans for drafting a new law
on e-commerce aligned with the EU standards and regulation.
Other related laws are being updated and amended as well.
The above-mentioned new law on payment services that is
awaited to be adopted in 2021 is expected to have positiveeffects in the e-commerce market, as it will enable fintech
solutions and stimulate more competition, especially to thebanks. There is also a new law on Personal data protection
complying with the EU regulations (GDPR), which has been
recently adopted.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
In recent years there is a growing discussion on the green
economy and we are looking forward to seeing more effortson this very important topic. IFIs, donors and internationalorganizations are contributing to putting a stronger focus
on sustainability. There are many non-governmentalorganizations and activists pushing for change that play a greatrole in raising awareness.
However, we still have a long way to go. For the moment,
I do not think consumers are willing or able to pay more forsustainable options in e-commerce, mostly due to the level ofdevelopment of our economy and the weak purchasing power.

86“There are plans for drafting a newlaw on e-commerce aligned with the
EU standards and regulation.”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

ROMANIA

LIGHT VERSIONROMANIA
CHARTS

Currency: Leu

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

5.55%
5.76%

77%
62%

2015

66%

2016

80%

2.50%
85%

2018

2019

2020

n GDP n E-GDP
2015 1.11%

23.41%

87%

5.76%

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

18%

18%

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

22.00%

15.04%

54%
45%

70%

2017

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

34.55%

5.30%
3.14%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
63.79%
Growth Rate

9.17%

23%

2017

26%

2018

29%

2019

2020

2021 (F)2016 1.45%

2018

2.20%

€150

2019

2.78%

€154

2020

3.51%

€159

2021 (F)

4.19%

SOURCE: IMF

Instagram: 1%
Pinterest: 2%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

YouTube: 1%
SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

87

€141
€150

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Twitter: 1%€134

2017 1.86%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 95%

VAT: 19%€164

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

ROMANIA

LIGHT VERSIONROMANIA
INTERVIEW

Florinel Chis
ARMO

COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
We have seen a significant increase in e-commerce as a resultof Covid-19. Consumers started shopping online a lot more
due to restrictions, buying from the safety and comfort oftheir own homes rather than exposing themselves to risks
in crowds. The shift to shopping online was not only seen in
fashion, but also food and grocery – these sectors exploded
when they were non-existent a few years ago.
We’ve also seen more consumers paying via card, which
was previously not the preferred payment method. Before
Covid-19, 75% of payments were cash-on-delivery, but theauthorities and media began requesting that consumers
purchase with contactless solutions. Additionally, we noticed
an increase in online shopping amongst all age segments.
Have you noticed any specific product categories
or retailers hit hard or having done well during the
lockdown(s)?
The travel sector was majorly hit, with approximately a 45%
decrease in sales. However, fashion, beauty, personal care,electronics and food are booming, with an increase of morethan 40%. Most fashion stores in Romania are in shopping
malls, meaning we don’t have many street shops – the malls
were closed so everyone was forced online. Overall, consumers
had great experiences shopping online, they found it easier,more comfortable, and had more diversity in the products
they were able to buy. With these positive experiences, I
believe consumers will continue to shop online.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creating
a more online presence?

88

Yes, retailers’ natural reaction when the lockdown hit was toincrease or create their online presence.
Were there any notable innovations or changes inpayment/delivery methods during the lockdown?
There was a huge increase in card payments, which was
encouraged by authorities and media. As people started buying
more online, we had to learn to manage the infrastructure.
One additional shift was the increase in click-and-collect, which
was almost non-existent in Romania before the pandemic.
Now we have delivery providers who have implemented these
options, so customers can get their parcels from a click-andcollect box nearby, and it’s contactless because recipients get acode on their phone to open the machine and locker.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Sustainability is still in its initial phases in terms of policy andpolitical willingness to engage. There are numerous initiatives
from the private sector, i.e., looking towards green energy, andthey’re moving much fast. Companies are looking towards
green energy specifically for delivery vehicles, warehouseproficiency, utilizing recycled materials, refurbishing, etc.
There are movements towards educating consumers inmaking responsible choices when purchasing products,
whether that be looking for green-labeled products, buyingorganic/local food, buying secondhand, etc. These initiatives
are coming from the private sector and NGOs. We also have
one government program wherein consumers can exchange
an old appliance (ex. refrigerator) and receive a voucher topurchase one that is more energy efficient.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
We need more data to know the answer. However, if welook towards purchasing power, Romanian citizens have lesspurchasing power than a German or French citizen, which
we need to take into consideration. There is a percentage of“One additional shift was the increase
in click-and-collect, which was almost
non-existent in Romania before thepandemic.”
consumers who can’t afford to pay more even if they want tobecause price is too important.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What is the status of digitization for consumers andbusinesses?
In terms of digitization for SMEs (DESI), Romania is at thebottom. In terms of cross-border and companies using
technology, it is low. We’re doing well in some areas – accessto fast internet is affordable and we have good coverage,
but digital literacy and digital skills are struggling. There ishuge potential here, but we need measures to aid citizens in
becoming more tech-savvy, using digital technology to interact
with authorities, etc. Change is slow.
What are some of the specific challenges/opportunities inyour market for SMEs going online?
For SMEs there are a number of challenges, including lack ofbusiness knowledge and struggling to have a valid businesscase or model to implement.
What do SMEs need in the Romanian market to go online
and be successful?
Retailers should strive for differentiators – ask yourself: what
do you offer differently to benefit the customer comparedto the competition? There are a lot of products available in
Romania now, so you’ll need good products, differentiatorsand business knowledge.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

RUSSIA

LIGHT VERSIONRUSSIA
CHARTS

Currency: Ruble

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

n GDP n E-GDP

2.57%
4.29%

83%

81%

€1,163

4.68%

2016 1.09%€1,11345%2017 1.10%

8.00%-2.54%
81%2015 0.89%

43.06%

0.20%

4.92%

73%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Growth Rate

6.73%
4.49%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

81%

76%

35%

38%

41%

43%

70%

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: STATISTA; WE ARE SOCIAL; HOOTSUITE

2017
SOURCE: STATISTA

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)€1,3502019 1.65%€1,419

2020

2.57%

2021 (F)2.59%

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Instagram: 10%
Pinterest: 18%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 18%

Twitter: 13%
YouTube: 15%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER89€1,4692018 1.30%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Vkontakte: 24%

VAT: 20%€1,279€1,641EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

RUSSIA

LIGHT VERSIONRUSSIA
INTERVIEW

Nadezhda
Vinogradova
Data Insight
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
The pandemic became the growth driver for online shopping,and e-commerce growth in 2020 was up 44%. We have
10 million new customers who had never made an online
purchase before, and 57 million employees began working
remotely. Additionally, the pandemic increased the frequency
of online purchases and reduced in-store customers. There
are some restrictions in Russia, and overall, we have reduced
our offline shopping.
We feel that new buyers will continue to shop online because
it is very convenient. Once you try it once, if you’ve had a goodexperience, you want to continue. Perhaps for groceries it
won’t be entirely convenient after the pandemic, so it will likely
see a decrease in online shoppers.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard or did well from the lockdown?
There were some categories that did well during lockdown,
namely sports apparel, cosmetics, shoes and everything we
use in the office. Additionally, the grocery market grew 4.5
times in geography and audience. The most hard-hit categories
were services, sports events and tourism.
As for retailers, small and medium retailers started their
online shops and started on marketplaces. Medium and large
retailers were already online before the pandemic.
Have you noticed more SMEs going online?
We think about 100,000 sellers are new on our market in the90

past 12 months, so this is not just about retailers, but also
product owners and brands. We’ve noticed more sellers going
online to sell their own products via Instagram and influencers,roughly 105k influencers began selling through their own
channel. This has been quite successful in Russia.
There are some government initiatives to help in this, mostly
educational initiatives. There are a lot of regional initiatives
via regional governments working to educate those in
the ecosystem. There are also subsidiaries for Russian
marketplaces working with money from the government. So,
there are not a huge number of initiatives, but a few thousandcompanies have used this type of help.
What have some of the challenges/opportunities been for
SMEs going online?
This biggest challenge is the lack of digital skills. There arebarriers for foreign sellers in Russia, namely due to thelanguage and alphabet. There are also difficulties with logistics
and customs, as the logistics in Russia work similarly toEurope. There are several different companies with different
areas of work and different abilities to work with different
types of products. If you’re selling refrigerators or a cell phone,there will be different delivery companies and that is difficult
to know.
There are significant issues with customs for sales between
Russia and the EU. The biggest foreign seller in Russia only has
one person in the Russian office, and players like Asos have no
office in Russia, working specifically from England. Our biggest
import/export trading countries are (export) the United States,
England, Germany, France and Austria, while China, the UnitedStates, and neighboring nations are the most popular importcountries.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
We had contactless as a payment method before thelockdown, however, use of this method grew substantially. As
for delivery, our online stores started contactless delivery andsame-day delivery, which became very popular, especially in“our online stores started contactlessdelivery and same-day delivery, whichbecame very popular, especially ingrocery markets.”
grocery markets. There were some new stores that delivered
groceries in 15 minutes and drugstores based near houses
that had really fast delivery.
How did the logistics infrastructure fare with increased
demand?
We already had good logistics before the pandemic, likecourier and pickup. In Russia, pickup is more popular because
it’s safer and more comfortable for consumers. If you order via
courier you have to wait the whole day and stay home waiting,which is less convenient. When the pandemic started, pickup
delivery decreased slightly, but the new method of pickup/
delivery appeared, which was delivery from pickup points.
Transport service delivers your order at the pickup point andthen another transfer service can deliver it to homes.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Russia feels like two different countries; they are Moscow andthe region around the Moscow belt/ring, and then there’s
everywhere else. In Moscow, the sustainability topic is being
discussed. That said, in the regions outside Moscow, there
are no discussions around this topic. In some cases, EU
regulations can impact Russian policies, but it is unlikely that
EU sustainability regulations will impact Russian policies.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What is the use status of innovative technologies in
Russian e-commerce?
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

RUSSIARUSSIA
INTERVIEW

We have restrictions for use of cryptocurrency from March
2021, and crypto is not a very mainstream concept in Russian
e-commerce. In 2020, Russia became very investor-oriented
on a customer level. There are several dozens of thousandsof EU investors with new accounts on the stock market, andthis is big for Russia because the stock market in Russia is
extremely small.
What is the status of multi-channel e-commerce?
There is no e-commerce now, there is retail, omni-retail, andthe new technology I see growing very fast – they are growing.
If you enter a local store, consultants will come to you with atablet/iPad and will show you 200+ products for you to choose
from. Customers then order online via the tablet, so there is a
mixture of sales, not fully offline or online.

91“We have restrictions for use of
cryptocurrency from March 2021,
and crypto is not a very mainstream
concept in Russian e-commerce.”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPESERBIA

LIGHT VERSIONSERBIA
CHARTS

Currency: Dinar

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate

4.97%
4.28%

4.06%

3.85%

n GDP n E-GDP
11.09%

15.46%

0.52%

66%

69%

72%

79%

79%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

18.85%

0.40%

80%

34%

38%

2015 0.70%

€27.8

7.50%

2016 0.77%

€28.7

51%

2017 0.87%

€28.9

9.21%

0.11%

75%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

43%

46%

44%

48%

2018 0.91%€31.7

2019 1.01%€32.4

2020 1.08%
2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2021 (F) 1.17%
SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 2%
Pinterest: 3%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 91%

Twitter: 3%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

92

VAT: 20%

€34.1
€35.9

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPESERBIA

LIGHT VERSIONSERBIA
INTERVIEW

Zorana Milidrag
Ecommerce Associationof Serbia
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Covid was a game-changer for the Serbian e-commercemarket. Our market was growing every year before thepandemic, but last year the amount of growth amounted to
4 years of previous YoY growth rates. Firstly, customers havemuch more trust in e-commerce, as many people purchased
online for the first time and were successful. Trust has really
increased because digitalization is happening all around us.
With a holistic digitalization approach, we’re seeing a higher
impact on consumer trust.
E-commerce players who had products and existing
e-commerce processes grew 400%, which was huge. We sawthat the players that grew 400% still showed growth of 200%from September 2019 to 2020, so even though we came outof lockdown, consumers continued to shop online. Despite
opening malls, there is still higher spending on digital channels
at this point.
Grocery shopping online was found predominantly within the
bigger cities, and these stores grew, but interestingly only 2%of overall sales in grocery markets is online. They had logistics
and capacity problems, but many had their own delivery andwere quick to rise to the challenge.
As an aside, we’ve also had an explosion of quick commerce
applications like UberEats, including Wolt, Glovo, Donesi, andCar Buttler – we realized in 2020 that consumers are readyfor all different types of e-commerce they never were before.
These Q commerce apps became small marketplaces because
they began offering more than just food. Consumers areready, and the society is much more digitized with government

93

supporting holistic digital transformations.
What were some of the challenges for SMEs going online
during the lockdowns?
Digital skills were the biggest problem. We still have a lack ofhuman resources, which has negatively impacted the wholeecosystem. That said, we’ve realized the importance of thedigital economy and are investing more in training. Additionally,
we now see huge salaries in e-commerce, and have begun
seeing large players invest in the Serbian e-commere market,
and the eCommerce ACADEMY run by ECS educated around200 e-commerce professionals in 2020.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
It’s similar to 2020, but I am more optimistic with the way
the conversation is going! This year we had a large ecologicalprotest in Belgrade and people have finally started talking
about sustainability, which had never happened before. We
finally have regulation regarding packaging, and it is no longer
allowed to pack in plastic bags. Packaging must now be inrecyclable material, biodegradable plastic.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What is the status of cross-border e-commerce, as Serbia
is not in the EU?
Serbian retailers would like to sell across the border, and we
do have the CEFTA agreement (like the EU) with surrounding
countries, including North Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, andMontenegro; our agreement is regarding sales withoutboundaries between these countries, and there is a project
regarding e-commerce in each market. The biggest difficulty iswith logistics companies operating in these markets – it’s quite
expensive to send to other countries in the region.
Are there any new trends in Serbian e-commerce?
We are going to have 3 large marketplaces in the region, so
we are creating new value to customers because they are all“Grocery shopping online was foundpredominantly within the bigger
cities, and these stores grew, butinterestingly only 2% of overall sales
in grocery markets is online.”
competing with better customer service. Additionally, there
are more campaigns from payment institutions to increase theshare of digital payments and card usage, which was always
quite low in previous years.
Big brands are going direct to consumer, they are not giving
their best products to distribute to marketplaces, so now
you have huge demand from market players for branded
products. This is worldwide trend that will affect us, as players
like Nike are not selling on Amazon anymore. Before, they
didn’t have much direct to consumer, but they are growing
quickly, especially now that they are collecting their own
consumer data. So, for retailers outside Serbia, there is a lot ofopportunity in the market for those with great products whowant to sell direct to consumer.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

EASTERN EUROPE

UKRAINE

LIGHT VERSIONUKRAINE
CHARTS

Currency: Hyrvnia

INTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

5.79%

7.66%

2015

59%

2015 1.04%
20.00%

2.00%
64%

63%

59%

n GDP n E-GDP

43.78%-0.54% -0.57%

49%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Growth Rate

10.76%

59%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

53%

29%

35%

13.61%
40%

9.61%
44%

20%

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: STATISTA; WE ARE SOCIAL; HOOTSUITE

2017

2018

SOURCE: UNCTAD; STATISTA

2019

2020

2021 (F)2016 1.50%

2018 1.92%€108.4

2019

1.96%

2020

2.05%

2021 (F)

2.56%

SOURCE: IMF

Instagram: 6%
Pinterest: 20%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

YouTube: 6%
SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

94

€90.6
€104.4

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Twitter: 7%€103.42017 1.68%

Most popular social media channels in 2021

Facebook: 56%

VAT: 20%€127.7€145.5€152.0EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

LIGHT VERSION

SOUTHERN EUROPE
INTERNET USERS

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

85%
80%

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
87%

64%

82%

60%

77%
53%

55%

50%

2017
SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTATGDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce salesn GDP n E-GDP
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

2017

2.08%

€3,131

2018

2.51%

€3,184

2019

3.05%

€3,223

2020

3.73%

€3,2682021 (F)

4.35%€3,307

SOURCE: IMF; CMI ANALYSIS

95

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPECYPRUSLIGHT VERSIONCYPRUSCHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

5.79%

20.75%

2016

23.17%

26.34%
2.64%

1.97%

2015

n GDP n E-GDP

6.59%

6.39%

76%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Growth Rate
7.44%

72%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

81%

2017

85%

86%

91%

3.08%
32%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

38%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT2017 0.73%€19.5

2018 0.91%€20.3

2019 1.02%€21.02020 1.24%€21.7

18.00%
10.27%

93%

39%

2017

38%

2018

45%

2019

52%

2020

60%

2021 (F)2021 (F) 1.38%
SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 2%
Pinterest: 6%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 87%

Twitter: 3%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

96

VAT: 19%€22.3

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

GREECE

LIGHT VERSIONGREECECHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate

3.82%
2.51%

3.00%

68%

2015

70%

2016

70%

2017

73%

76%

79%

82%

-1.85%
47%

2018

2019

2020

n GDP n E-GDP

13.05%
7.86%-0.43%The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

19.67%

3.45%
3.63%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

45%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT-0.43%

45%

2017

59%
49%

2018

2015

2.06%

€184

10.00%

2016

2.22%

€184

63%

2017

2.67%

€187

2018

3.14%

€191

2019

3.83%

€195

2020

6.65%

€199

2021 (F)

7.09%

€203

51%

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 2%
Pinterest: 5%This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 90%

Twitter: 2%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

97

VAT: 24%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

GREECE

LIGHT VERSIONGREECE
INTERVIEW

Katerina Fraidaki
GRECA
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Firstly, we have two different categories of consumers. In thefirst category, consumers became more mature, as they had
already purchased online in previous years. In the second
category, we have consumers who purchased online for the
first time. In some surveys we conducted, 50% of people who
made a purchase for the first time during Covid declared they
are going to continue making purchases via online shops.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard from the lockdown?
In the first period of lockdown, our association conducted
research to understand what was happening with online
shopping, consumers, and product categories. We looked
into 100 categories to determine the greatest increases anddecreases in purchasing. In the first lockdown, the categories
that went up with at least 100% were electronics, vitamins, andanything to occupy children. On the other hand, fashion saw
the greatest decline in the beginning of the lockdown, though
after 2-4 months we saw an increase in visits and conversion
to fashion store websites.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creatinga stronger online presence?
We saw a lot of big players change their sites and change
their philosophy to come closer to consumers. Of course,
Covid made logistics very difficult, which made it difficult tokeep consumers happy. In terms of getting shops online, ourgovernment gives EUR 5,000 to small companies to digitize andget online. Through these initiatives, we are expecting to see atleast a 30% increase in the number of e-shops, and we know in
2021 we will have more SMEs in the online environment.

98

To summarize, 2020 was the year for existing e-shops to
become stronger and for SMEs to start using digital tools, suchas telephone and email for orders (i.e., the butcher in yourneighborhood), and all these people are likely to use 2021 tobecome fully digital.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?
The most important thing to come out of the pandemic waslogistics and last-mile delivery. We have many couriers, butcouriers had to do 10-20 times their normal deliveries. It wasdifficult for them, so there was space for both new startups
and companies. The startups focused on the technology part,as they created systems that facilitated the work of couriers.
Every e-shop pre-Covid was contracted with just one courier,and after Covid, we’re seeing that they are cooperating withmultiple.
Regarding grocery and logistics, when consumers switchedfrom offline to online for grocery purchasing, the wait time
could be up to 10 days to receive their order, but we had
the most innovative ideas in this field. Quite quickly we saw
collaboration within e-food via online applications to begin
receiving orders same-day or next-day. Several brands andretailers began using applications in this same way, but grocery
was the first sector to see consumers go from offline to online
so abruptly.
Alongside these delivery changes, consumers started touse credit cards more with online purchasing, which was anopportunity for credit and debit cards to become the first
choice for online payment. Before Covid, cash on delivery
was much more preferred by consumers online. Additionally,a lot of consumers search for trustmarks before they buy
something.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Sustainability is a matter that started to be discussed in the“In some surveys we conducted, 50%of people who made a purchase forthe first time during Covid declared
they are going to continue making
purchases via online shops.”
last years. In previous years we spoke of sustainability, but
we hadn’t yet had designs or actions until now. We havesome large companies working towards sustainability, but
typically towards branding/marketing. We now have specificgovernment committees that are beginning to discusssustainability and its importance in e-commerce.
What are retailers/consumers/policymakers doing inregard to sustainability and e-commerce?
One initiative from policymakers, in order to minimize theamount of plastic bags in supermarkets, the government has
imposed a cost for plastic bags when shopping. This has beenreally good for our sustainability initiatives.
As for consumers, second-hand is a new and fast-growing
trend. We have a few shops based on this concept, but it isstill in its infancy and is still a concept we need to convince
our consumers to trust. Most consumers will say theywant sustainability options and to support companies withsustainable initiatives, but the share of consumers willing to
pay more money for this is still low.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What have some of the challenges/opportunities been for
SMEs going online?
The first challenge is education, especially for SMEs we need toeducate for them to understand what is digital, what “online”
means, and how you can transfer your job from an offline toonline environment. The second challenge is convincing themContinued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

GREECE
INTERVIEW

that there is a market out there, that there are people whowant to buy online. Regarding opportunities, we have a lot ofsectors that are not yet online, so there is a lot of opportunity
there. If we can combine the startup ecosystem with the
e-commerce ecosystem, we will have new ideas that we don’t
currently see in the market.
What is the status of cross-border vs. domestic online
shopping?
In 2019 we conducted a survey wherein 80% of Greek
consumers said they spent more than 50% of their budget in
Greek e-shops, which means they prefer to buy online from
Greece. In terms of the “why”, I don’t believe that is due to thelanguage barrier, it’s due more so to trust. If something goes
wrong, consumers want to have myriad ways to communicate
with the shop, particularly another Greek person, to solve theirproblem.

99

GREECE

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

ITALY

LIGHT VERSIONITALYCHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet

Growth Rate

5.40%

9.92%

68%

2015

71%

2016

73%

2017

5.47%

39%

2018

2019

11.50%

10.36%

83%

81%

78%

n GDP n E-GDP

2.00%

1.17%
77%

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

14.28%

12.59%

3.69%
4.56%
2.83%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

Growth Rate

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

41%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

44%

2017

47%

2018

49%

2019

54%

2020

2017 1.48%€1,5992018 1.70%€1,6132019 1.94%€1,6152020 1.99%€1,62959%2021 (F)2021 (F)

2.35%

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 3%
Pinterest: 9%This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 80%

Twitter: 5%
YouTube: 3%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

100

VAT: 22%€1,640EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

ITALY

LIGHT VERSIONITALYINTERVIEW

Roberto Liscia
Netcomm
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
We had a strong increase in the number of e-shoppers and in
the frequency of buying products and services online. During
the first two months of the pandemic, Italian consumers who
buy online grew by 2 million, reaching the total number of 27
million. Another strong change was the decrease of cash as
payment use in online transactions. This shift was due to two
main reasons: (1) consumers preferred to have less physicalcontact, so they decided to pay with digital payments rather
than cash, and (2) many merchants and brands allowed
clients to pay only with digital payment solutions to protect
their deliver staff. Italian consumers have appreciated theexperience of shopping online since Covid began which hasreally pushed Italy into omnichannel shopping.
Have you noticed any specific product categories orretailers that were hit hard or did well during the
lockdown?
Travel has decreased substantially: we had 57% less sales fortravel services, so the travel industry was without any doubt
the worst hit industry in 2020. FMCG and the food industry
were the best performers in terms of growth, as we had 70%
growth in sales of food and grocery products. In general, alllogistics players were hit hard in managing this strong increasein demand, though they were very clever in managing thissituation. Most importantly, merchants remained transparent
and open about their difficulties which was very appreciated.
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creatinga stronger online presence?
Definitely retailers are going online, and every kind of firm istrying to be more present in the digital ecosystem. However,101

e-commerce and digital projects need time, investment andcompetencies to be properly developed. Companies that werealready planning digital programs accelerated their timelines,
and SMEs with no plans to go online were pushed into thedigital market. The biggest challenge for these SMEs is tobecome stable online, develop new digital business models,integrate digital services, and incorporate long-term strategies
and investments.

“To go from the B2B to B2C
relationship is a big challenge but
also a big opportunity for Italiancompanies since this would allow
them to significantly expand theirrelationship with customers.”

SUSTAINABILITY
What is the general conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Sustainability is a key topic for government, entrepreneurs,
and consumers. Debates about the green economy arewidespread among Italian stakeholders. There are several
companies developing new logistics projects and adopting new
packaging policies and practices to decrease their impact. At
Netcomm, two years ago we made guidelines for our members
to support them in developing new best practices to manage
environmental problems, like having a better management ofdelivery services and a more efficient packaging policy.
Additionally, the Italian government is discussing a new nextgeneration plan for Italy, and the plan is built on two pillars:
digital and green. We are discussing with institutions andanalyzing projects in the vision of evolving the Italian economy
and the overall Italian ecosystem. Authorities agree that digitaland green should be the key pillars.
Do you feel consumers are willing to pay more for online
purchases with sustainability in mind?
I’m not sure that they will be willing to pay more for green
services, but they appreciate brands and companies
incorporating green policies. Sustainability is now a leading
value for Italian citizens, and this is affecting consumers’
behaviors such as the choice of products and retailers who pay
attention to environment.

OTHER TOPICS
What is the relationship between foreign markets and in
the Italian e-commerce market?
Competition is an issue because most of our companies are
small and do not have a huge amount of money to invest in
their online presence. So, competition is tough. Oftentimes
Italian companies are retailers, but we also have lots of brands
and producers, so one big opportunity that Italian companies
have is to directly sell their products, which are unique andappreciated all over the world. To go from the B2B to B2C
relationship is a big challenge but also a big opportunity for
Italian companies since this would allow them to significantly
expand their relationship with customers.
What has contributed to the success of e-commerce
players in your market?
You win if you have an overall excellent experience forcustomers. This means that you have to offer very good
products and services, but also that your relationship with
consumers should be excellent. You must be able to reply
properly to all their requests, support them and be loved bythem to create brand loyalty. To be such a winning player,
companies need to plan and execute more and moreinnovation projects among the entire value chain, and thisrequires and entrepreneurial vision and excellent competencesamong employees.

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

MALTA

LIGHT VERSIONMALTACHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

Growth Rate

2.96%
1.87%

86%
78%

2015

79%

2016

81%

2017

1.43%

1.00%

87%

88%

82%

2018

4.71%

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

6.74%

n GDP n E-GDP

6.00%

2017 0.61%
2018 0.64%

2015

72%

-2.76%
63%

64%

2016

2017

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

66%

2019 0.68%

67%

2020 0.79%

2018

2019

2020

2021 (F)2021 (F) 0.84%
SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 1%
Pinterest: 8%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 87%

Twitter: 3%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

102

€9.72
€10.34

76%
66%

2019

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

9.00%
4.60%

1.54%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

5.15%

VAT: 18%€10.88€11.36€11.79EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

MALTA

LIGHT VERSION

MALTA
INTERVIEW

Denise Borda

Malta Communications
Authority (MCA)
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
According to NSO data published in 2020, e-commerceincreased around 5% on the previous year. Various retailers
detected an increase in consumers buying via online channels
in this last year. An MCA survey conducted in 2020 reports that
27% of e-commerce users increased their online shopping
activity since Covid began with a significant increase in local
grocery online shopping.
Buying online from locally-based websites really escalated in
the last year and this occurred when most online shopping
was usually done from overseas.
Have you noticed any specific product categories thatwere hit hard or did well during lockdown?
Whilst Malta did not need to adopt a hard lockdown, nonessential shops had to close during the peak of the pandemic.
Many were not geared for online selling and this resulted in a
number of shops being badly hit, particularly clothing, fashion,
events and especially Tourism.
There was a temporary shortage of sports equipment as allgyms had to close and this led people to invest in exercise
machines and equipment for the home. There was a similar
situation with electronics as people were staying indoors andworking remotely but the IT sector managed to address theincrease in demand promptly. Despite Malta being an islandand the shortcomings associated to its geographical insularity
from mainland Europe, there were no major shortages, moreso as the situation stabilized over time.
Most supermarkets initially struggled to scale up their delivery

103

service, however the situation was eventually resolved.
Besides, consumers quickly adapted to online ordering as it’squick and convenient and it does away with traffic and parking
headaches!
Did the lockdown impact retailers going online or creatinga stronger online presence?
We had already noticed more retailers going online before
Covid but it accelerated even more during COVID. The latest
MCA survey reveals that the number of businesses (including
microenterprises) selling via a website or marketplace has
almost doubled from 4 years ago. When factoring in other
online sales channels (social media, messaging and email),
this figure leaps to 38%. Last year, a number of village shops
in Malta also started selling online, mostly through their
Facebook page as only a few had a website.
Most large supermarkets that did have an e-commerce
website, had to upgrade their platforms as they lacked
resources to cater for the surging traffic during lockdown. This
led to a significant improvement in their operations and ability
to reach out to customers. Currently, online services offeredby supermarkets are proving to sufficiently meet customers’
expectations.
How did the infrastructure fare with the increase in online
orders?
The overarching digital connectivity infrastructure (wired andwireless) in Malta handled the additional load well with nodowntime.
Were there any initiatives from the government or
industry to help?
The Malta Communication Authority (MCA) together with
Government has been active for a number of years insupporting businesses going online through a number of
initiatives such as training and collaboration with otherstakeholders.
For instance, three years ago the MCA launched the eBiznify
eLearning platform, which delivers an online training program“Buying online from locally-based
websites really escalated in the lastyear and this occurred when mostonline shopping was usually done
from overseas.”in e-commerce practices. It is a short and focused programthat offers participants, especially those already in business, ahigh level of flexibility, allowing them more control over theirstudy schedule. eBiznify proved to be extremely beneficial
during the pandemic as we were able to offer e-commerce
training, allowing individuals and SMEs to acquire skills related
to digital commerce at a time when physical classes were notpermissible and when most businesses had to close their
physical stores.
The MCA also helped in ensuring that telco operators provided
solid connectivity that could scale up to the dramatic increasein demands. Ongoing monitoring of the service was performed
to identify and mitigate, as early as possible, any bottlenecks
that could lead to major issues. The MCA also monitored
the local DNS infrastructure which also coped perfectly well.
Overall, this provided a sound underlying infrastructure for
e-commerce to flourish.
During the last 3 years, the Government also rolled out an
e-commerce scheme encouraging businesses to go online, byoffering financial assistance for the implementation of a new
website or a payment gateway for their existing website.
Were there any innovations in payment/delivery methods
during the lockdown?
From MCA surveys carried out over the years, credit cards
and cash on delivery are the methods of payment mostly
offered by businesses selling online. Following the pandemic,
there is also a growing disposition towards payment apps andContinued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

MALTA

MALTA
INTERVIEW

surveys conducted with consumers demonstrate that moste-commerce buyers prefer payment apps (predominantly
Paypal) and credit cards over other methods of payment. Thisis probably because until recently, most online shopping wasdone from abroad.
The pandemic has certainly brought about a positive shift in thelocal delivery landscape. Local retailers started partnering withdifferent postal/delivery companies, as not all could efficiently
handle their deliveries in-house and thus had to outsource.
Interestingly, we also observed cab companies venturing into
this area and offering innovative delivery services, and quick
delivery including same-day delivery service.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
There is definitely more awareness about sustainability.
Industry representatives are actively working with members
and policymakers on this topic. Most websites related tosustainable products have an e-commerce platform with anumber of these having only an online set-up. A number of
local initiatives aim to promote and educate citizens towards
sustainability, encouraging them to buy local produce andlead a more sustainable life. Besides, there is also an online
marketplace promising to sell genuine, ethical and sustainableproducts that are good for people and the planet.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
What are the main cross-border e-commerce markets for
Maltese consumers or retailers?
Maltese consumers mostly buy from the UK, followed by China,
Germany and Italy. Events such as Brexit and amendments tothe VAT Directive may change this dynamic somewhat in the
future. The MCA is following these developments so that it cankeep consumers and retailers informed about new policies
and procedures.

104“Local retailers started partneringwith different postal/delivery
companies, as not all could efficiently
handle their deliveries in-house andthus had to outsource.”
Only a small percentage of retailers sell cross-border due tounsustainable delivery costs and lack of economies of scale.
However, we are observing an increase to some extent in thisarea particularly through international online platforms.

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

PORTUGAL

LIGHT VERSIONPORTUGALCHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online
Growth Rate

5.26%

13.81%
10.15%

3.65%

n GDP n E-GDP

8.55%
9.00%

2.00%

1.01%
-0.31%
75%
70%

2015

75%

1.04%
76%

79%

2017

2018

-1.29%
44%

71%

2016

5.16%

81%

2019

2020

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

2015

43%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

45%

2017

49%

2018

51%

2019

56%

2020

60%

2021 (F)2015 1.97%

€168

2016

2.17%

€171

2017

2.63%

€175

2018

2.83%

€179

2019

3.21%

€186

2020

3.90%

€189

2021 (F)

4.43%

€192

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 3%
Pinterest: 7%
This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 85%

Twitter: 3%
YouTube: 1%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER

105

VAT: 23%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

SPAIN

LIGHT VERSIONSPAINCHARTS

Currency: EuroINTERNET USAGE

E-SHOPPERS

Percentage of the population accessing the internet
Growth Rate

4.97%

2.45%

Growth Rate

2.24%

1.17%

80%

2015

81%

2016

85%

87%

2018

2019

2020

n GDP n E-GDP

94%

2021 (F)SOURCE: EUROSTAT

7.03%

7.66%

1.25%
3.08%
53%

2017

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in €Billion and thepercentage of GDP comprised of e-commerce sales

14.69%
8.07%

93%

91%

GDP AND E-GDP (EUR, BN)

Percentage of internet users that bought goods
or services online

4.70%

2015

54%

2016

SOURCE: EUROSTAT

59%

2017

62%

2018

64%

2019

67%

2020

6.00%
70%

2021 (F)2015 1.90%€1,072

2016

2.30%

€1,106

2017

2.79%

€1,139

2018

3.53%

€1,168

2019

4.44%

€1,193

2020

5.63%

€1,2162021 (F)

6.64%€1,237

SOURCE: IMF

SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Most popular social media channels in 2021
Instagram: 4%
Pinterest: 5%This is the light version of the report.
The full version is only available toEcommerce Europe and EuroCommerce
members as well as policymakers.

Facebook: 84%

Twitter: 5%
YouTube: 2%

SOURCE: STATCOUNTER106

VAT: 21%

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

SPAIN

LIGHT VERSIONSPAININTERVIEW

Cesar Tello
Adigital
COVID-19
How has Covid-19 changed consumer behaviors andpreferences in online shopping?
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on consumer behaviors
regarding online shopping. Since this was the only option toaccess goods and services during lockdowns, many people felt
“forced” to use it more (or even for the first time), and, by doing
so, they have been able to realize how easy, useful and safe it
can be. We don’t know what the future holds, but we believe
once you have broken those initial barriers, there is no goingback.
Have you noticed any product categories or retailers hit
hard from the lockdown(s)?
The impact of the pandemic has varied across sectors. For
instance, it has worked as a good “ice-breaker” when it comesto buying fresh produce, which represented a tiny 2% of
Spanish e-commerce before the pandemic and has gone up to
3.5%. However, we’ve seen a significant decrease in tourism,
transport and ticketing, which were leading e-commerce in the
country until lockdowns started.
We’ve seen this has worked the other way around too: lots ofsmall and local businesses (retailers, restaurants) have started
to sell online as a way to keep operating during lockdowns.
Many of them wouldn’t have survived otherwise. The mostinteresting thing is that some of them have started their online
operations just by using WhatsApp and not necessarily bycreating a website or setting up a profile on a marketplace.
That gives us an idea of how flexible the online shopping
model is and how this could evolve in the upcoming years.
Were there any new innovations in payment/delivery
methods during the lockdown?

107

Using WhatsApp is, probably, one of the key aspects ofinnovation in e-commerce during this period. The other one
has to do with delivery and the role digital platforms haveplayed in it. This option has made selling online less of a hassle
for lots of small shops and restaurants. Offline we have seen asignificant increase in the use of contactless payment options.
SUSTAINABILITY
What is the conversation around sustainability in
e-commerce?
Sustainability has left marketing departments to enter board
rooms and has been taken into account by strategic decision
making. It’s been in the spotlight for the last 2-3 years, but the
pandemic has accelerated this trend: companies are more andmore aware of it.
What are retailers/consumers/policymakers doing inregard to sustainability and e-commerce?
Shoppers are demanding more eco-friendly and socially
responsible products and there are several international andnational reports that confirm they would be willing to pay more
for goods that are more sustainable. However, in order to doso, they need clear information about where the products
come from, how they have been produced, what their impact
will be, how long they’ll be able to use them and what to do at
the end of their lifespan.
Ongoing regulation processes at a national and European
level are working on this (labeling, transparency, traceability,
recycling, circular design, waste management), so online sellers
have no option but to ensure their processes, packaging anddelivery processes are as ethical and sustainable as possible.
The good news is that we’ve already got good examples ofcompanies working towards it, but we still need to support
them: we need to make sure online businesses understandthe impact their activity may have on the environment andprovide them with the tools and resources to minimize it.

“Spanish SMEs account for 99% of
the total companies and 78% of total
employment in the country, but
the vast majority of them lack the
economic and human capital to takethe next step.”
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
Have you seen more SMEs going online? If so, what havesome of the challenges/opportunities been for SMEs going
online?
The pandemic has only accelerated digital transformation,
especially amongst SMEs: they had no option but to moveonline. We are not naïve about how difficult this can be,though. First of all, we need to do a lot of work to help themunderstand what digitalizing their business means and how to
do it. There are lots of organizations that still think digitalization
is about having a website or a social media profile, but theyalso need resources.
Spanish SMEs account for 99% of the total companies and 78%
of total employment in the country, but the vast majority ofthem lack the economic and human capital to take the next
step. Without innovation, they cannot scale and reinvest
in growing their business, selling abroad or implementing
circular and responsible design, which are key to ensurecompetitiveness and productivity.
We believe setting up national and regional programs to
support SMEs and guide them through this new digital worldis crucial for the economy and society as a whole. SMEs needtraining in digital skills, capital and an appropriate regulatory
framework to thrive.
Continued on the following page

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

SOUTHERN EUROPE

SPAIN

SPAIN
INTERVIEW

What are the innovative or new tech solutions retailers
are using online?
They are mostly using automation solutions, especially linked
to customer relations management and marketing. We haven’t
seen a massive use of blockchain or other technologies such as
VR so far. At the moment, we are particularly promoting cloudcomputing technologies, since we believe these can really help
SMEs scale; it gives them access to cutting-edge applications at
reasonable costs, which can help them innovate at the samelevel bigger companies do.
Are there any upcoming policies in Spain that will have an
impact on domestic e-commerce?
In April, the government passed an extensive decreetransposing several European directives that will affecte-commerce, specifically those referring to VAT for e-commerce
and the directive for digital contracts and the provision ofelectronic services and digital content. Whereas the directives
on consumer rights won’t be enforced until January, the VAT
reform will be applicable from July 2021. Among the novelties,
free digital services are regulated, and the guarantee periods
are modified, which go from 2-3 years for goods, and 6 months
to 2 years for digital content and services. In addition, the timethat the manufacturer must have spare parts is extended,
which goes from 5-10 years after the product ceases to be
manufactured.
Last mile delivery will also be affected by a foreseeable
decree regulating the labor status of platform workers. The
government will pass a decree establishing an objective
presumption that qualifies all delivery managed by platform
as employees, avoiding the possibility that they may beconsidered as self-employed.
Regarding the extended responsibility for packaging
obligations, there is still no new regulation, but there areseveral projects that will modify the current rules. Also, thegovernment has just launched a public consultation regarding
the establishment of a repairability index, most likely copying
the French precedent.

108“At the moment, we are particularly
promoting cloud computing
technologies, since we believe thesecan really help SMEs scale.”

LIGHT VERSIONEUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

METHODOLOGY & SOURCES

LIGHT VERSIONMETHODOLOGY & SOURCES
Much of the content in this report is the result of direct collaboration with national e-commerce associations across the European
Continent. Alongside desk research to collect country-specific figures (internet penetration, e-shopper penetration, etc.), in-depth
interviews (and/or questionnaires) were conducted with national association experts to explain what is happening on the groundin each country. The methodology for data collected is explained below:
Gross Domestic Product: Desk research using theInternational Monetary Fund

E-GDP: Centre for Market Insights Analysis using B2C
e-commerce turnover and GDP

Population: Desk research using Worldometers

B2C E-commerce Turnover:

Internet Users: Desk research using:- Eurostat: Share of population accessing the internet within
the last year, yearly; [isoc_ci_ifp_iu]- Statista: Share of the population using the internet, yearly- United Nations: UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index 2020
- National E-commerce Associations & Report Partners: Data
request
Indices: Desk research using:- World Bank: Logistics Performance Index Report 2018;
Ease of Doing Business Index 2020
- United Nations: E-Government Development Index 2020;
UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index 2020
- The Economist Intelligence Unit: Inclusive Internet Index
2021- Universal Postal Union: Integrated Index for Postal
Development 2020-N ational E-commerce Associations: Data was requested tobe submitted by April 2021, which includes data collected
and analyzed associations, and by local/international
research firms and universities; data entries were in
multiple different currencies, which required a historicalcurrency conversion from 2017-2021 utilizing xe.com,
yearly- Statista: Statista’s Digital Market Outlook was utilizedin countries where there is no national e-commerce
association, or where there is no relationship to theassociation; desk research was conducted, with the output
in euros (i.e., no currency conversion)- Report Partners: Contact with & subsequent data requests
from partners of the report that do not fall under the
category of national e-commerce association, or theirresearch firms/universities include: GKI Digital Hungary(Hungary); Data Insight (Russia)- Yale University: Environmental Performance Index 2020

Frequency of online purchases in the last three months,
2020: Eurostat; [isoc_ec_ib20]- International Telecommunication Union: Global
Cybersecurity Index 2020

Online purchasing nationally and cross-border, threemonths, 2020: Eurostat; [isoc_ec_ibos]

E-Shoppers: Desk research using:- Eurostat: Share of the online population shopping online;[isoc_ec_ib20] & [isoc_ec_ibuy]

EU-27 Eurostat Charts (by order of charts): [isoc_ec_ibgs];[isoc_ec_ibos]; [isoc_eb]
Social Media Use: Desk research utilizing Statcounter:- Statista: Share of the (online) population shopping online;
Digital Market Outlook by country- Statistic: social media (Desktop, Mobile, Tablet)- National E-commerce Associations & Report Partners: Data
request-P eriod: “Last 6 months”, accessed in May 2021

- United Nations: UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index 2020

109

- Region: by country

SOURCESAR
Bank of Norway
Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia
CNMC
Data InsightDeloitte
Ecommerce NewsEurostat
GfK
GKI Digital Hungary
Hootsuite
IDC
INE
International Monetary FundInternational Telecommunication Union
National E-commerce Associations
School of Management Politecnico di Milano
SimilarWeb
Statcounter
Statista
Statistics Norway
Swiss Post
The Economist Intelligence Unit
UNCTAD
United Nations
Universal Postal Union
We Are Social
World BankWorldometers
XE Historical Currency Converter
Yale University

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

ABOUT US & THANKSLIGHT VERSIONABOUT US & THANKS
Authors

ThanksSara Lone, MA

Nahid Harboul, MS

Jesse Weltevreden, PhD

Sara Lone is a lead quantitative and qualitative
research analyst in the field of digital tradeat the Centre for Market Insights of the
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Nahid Harboul is a quantitative researchanalyst for the Centre for Market Insights anda lecturer for the Amsterdam University ofApplied Sciences.

Dr. Jesse Weltevreden is professor of Digital
Commerce at the Amsterdam University ofApplied Sciences (AUAS) and is the directorof the Centre for Market Insights within the
School of Marketing at AUAS.

Email: s.m.lone2@hva.nl
LinkedIn: linked.com/in/sara-lone

Email: n.harboul@hva.nl
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nahid-harboul

Email: j.w.j.weltevreden@hva.nl
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jesseweltevreden

About the CMI:The Centre for Market Insights is the research center of the School of Marketing at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
The CMI helps organizations tackle challenges in the fields of marketing research, data science and emerging technologies.
For more information, please visit us at https://www.cmihva.nl/en
For questions about the report and/or press inquiries, please contact Sara Lone at s.m.lone2@hva.nl

110

The Amsterdam University of Applied
Sciences & Centre for Market Insights
team would like to thank all ourreport contributors. The insights arecontinuously enriched with your additionsof quantitative and qualitative data.
Importantly, creation of this report would
not be possible without the contributionsof experts in the e-commerce field,
particularly the member associations ofEcommerce Europe.
A special thank you goes out to our reportcontributors, particularly non-association
partners and non-EU-associations:
GKI DigitaleCommerce Hrvatska
Macedonian Ecommerce Association
Data InsightE commerce Association of Serbia Malta
Communications Authority

EUROPE E-COMMERCE REPORT 2021

COPYRIGHT

LIGHT VERSIONCOPYRIGHT© 2021 European E-commerce Report
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences & Ecommerce Europe
This report may not be stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or sold in whole or in part without the publisher’s express permission.
Fair quotation is encouraged with proper citation:
Lone, S., Harboul, N. & Weltevreden, J.W.J. (2021). 2021 European E-commerce Report. Amsterdam/Brussels: Amsterdam University of Applied
Sciences & Ecommerce Europe.
This report is based upon our reasonable efforts to compile and analyze the best sources available to us at any given time.
Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. The authors are not responsible for any damage resulting from use of this report.

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111

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