Despite adverse conditions, online retail in Germany continued its growth path in the first quarter of 2026. This emerges from the current results of a consumer survey that the Federal Association of E-Commerce and Mail Order Germany eV (Bevh) published on Monday.
According to this, online sales of goods in this country amounted to 20.4 billion euros in the period from January to March. This corresponded to an increase of 3.6 percent compared to the same period last year.
One of the growth engines was the clothing product category, whose online sales increased by 3.6 percent to 3.57 billion euros in the first quarter. The corresponding sales of shoes grew by 3.7 percent to 953 million euros, while the home and home textiles sector achieved an increase of 2.0 percent to 474 million euros. Online sales rose particularly sharply for food (+12.3 percent), drugstore and cosmetic products (+10.1 percent) and medicines (+9.8 percent).
Temu, Shein and AliExpress also performed above average in the most recent quarter. According to the Bevh, the combined sales of the “three largest platforms of Chinese origin” grew by 12.9 percent to 990 million euros. In doing so, they increased their share of total sales in German online retail to 4.9 percent.
Bevh managing director Wenk-Fischer appeals to the federal government
Bevh Managing Director Christoph Wenk-Fischer drew a positive conclusion from the past quarter, but warned of impending risks for the e-commerce industry. “The declining consumer mood caused by the crisis has not yet been able to bring down online retail,” he explained in a statement. “However, the federal government can succeed in this. The real test will come if the VAT is actually increased.”
Currently, “exploding energy prices, aggressive and often unfair competitors from third countries and dependence on US tech companies” are “strangling” the industry, said Wenk-Fischer. “Companies have no room to absorb or even cushion the associated burden. The currently stable but cautious growth is in great danger due to the plans to increase VAT discussed in government circles.”
Instead, he demanded relief from politicians: “Less subsidies combined with a reduction in bureaucracy would be the sensible alternative and a signal for a sense of responsibility and state modernization,” emphasized the Bevh managing director.
