DACH Ecommerce Market Continues to Grow as Asian Marketplaces Gain Ground

The ecommerce market across the DACH region is set to maintain steady momentum, with annual growth expected to range between 3 and 6 percent. While Germany, Austria and Switzerland are all seeing continued expansion in online retail, the growing influence of Asian marketplaces is becoming increasingly visible.

In Austria, platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress now account for more than 10 percent of total ecommerce spending, underlining how quickly cross-border players are reshaping the market.

Austria’s online retail market reaches new record

According to the Austrian Retail Association, online spending in Austria is expected to reach 12.3 billion euros this year. That would represent a 3 percent increase compared with 2025 and mark a new record for the country’s ecommerce sector.

The number of online shoppers is expected to remain stable at around 5.8 million. Growth is therefore mainly being driven by higher average spending per shopper rather than by a larger customer base.

Rainer Will, managing director of the Austrian Retail Association, said that the Austrian online retail market has now reached a mature stage. He stressed that the main challenge is ensuring that more ecommerce spending stays within Austria by offering competitive products, dependable service and fair market conditions.

Almost half of Austrian ecommerce spending goes abroad

Cross-border ecommerce remains a major concern in Austria. Around 47 percent of the country’s online spending, equal to approximately 5.8 billion euros, is estimated to go to foreign retailers.

Chinese marketplaces are playing a growing role in this trend. This year, Austrian consumers are expected to spend around 1.3 billion euros on platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress. That represents 10.6 percent of total online retail spending in the country.

Despite the rapid rise of Chinese platforms, Amazon still holds a much larger position in Austria’s ecommerce market.

Swiss ecommerce grows at a faster pace

Switzerland is also seeing strong ecommerce growth. Data from NielsenIQ shows that online sales in Switzerland increased by 6 percent last year, reaching the equivalent of around 17.1 billion euros.

Further growth is expected in 2026, although cross-border ecommerce appears to be expanding at a slower pace than before.

Evgenij Isakulov of NielsenIQ noted that foreign retailers are still gaining ground in Switzerland’s online retail market. Chinese marketplaces in particular continue to increase their share, but the overall pace of cross-border growth has slowed compared with the previous year.

Germany remains the largest DACH ecommerce market

Germany continues to be the biggest ecommerce market in the DACH region. According to the Online Monitor 2026 from the German Retail Federation, HDE, online spending in Germany rose by 3.9 percent last year to 92.3 billion euros.

For this year, German ecommerce is expected to grow by another 4.3 percent.

HDE describes ecommerce as an important growth driver for the retail sector. At the same time, the federation has raised concerns about the rising market share of Chinese platforms.

According to HDE, Shein and Temu together now account for around 5 percent of German ecommerce spending. The federation estimates that these platforms redirect billions of euros away from the German economy each year.

Smaller retailers face growing pressure

Recent research from ECDB and Mastercard on ecommerce in Central Europe also highlighted Austria’s high level of cross-border online spending. The study estimates that ecommerce growth in Germany, Austria and Switzerland could be slightly stronger than the forecasts published by national retail associations.

However, the benefits of this growth are not evenly distributed. Much of the increase is being captured by the biggest platforms and marketplaces, while smaller online retailers across the DACH region continue to face pressure from international competition.