Austrian online customers mainly make cross-border purchases

Online spending in Austria increased by 5 percent in one year, reaching €10.6 billion. More than half of the spending is made in foreign online stores. “Dramatic,” says the Austrian Handelsverband.

The trade association responds to the results of a comprehensive study on e-commerce commissioned by the Handelsverband and conducted by the research institute KMU Forschung.

Come back

According to Handelsverband, e-commerce has “economically made a comeback”, with clothing, electronics and furniture making up the largest product categories. After a period of stagnation, online spending in Austria is growing again, although the growth figures (April 2023 compared to April this year) are also driven by inflation.

Inflation has also made Austrian consumers critical of their spending patterns, which has a negative impact on environmental awareness. Of the respondents, 42 percent indicated they returned at least one item, compared to 38 percent. a year before.

Cross-border e-commerce

According to researchers, approximately 6 million Austrian online shoppers can currently choose from over twelve thousand national online stores. However, most of their online purchases come from overseas suppliers: 54 percent of their spending takes place there.

54% of spending goes to foreign online stores.

Research shows that especially the youngest Austrian consumers buy a lot from foreign retailers. Half of people over 50 say they never buy from international players.

Dramatic development

Rainer Will, director of Handelsverband, talks about the “dramatic” development: “Almost EUR 6 billion is currently flowing into foreign online stores. Austrians finance approximately 150,000 jobs abroad in this way, also as a result of the necessary legal framework and inadequate customs controls.”

“Austrians finance 150,000 jobs abroad.”

Competition conditions

Online shoppers are primarily attracted by lower product prices abroad. The Austrian Handelsverband will advocate strongly for fairer European trade, says Director Will: “We have no choice but to work towards fair competition conditions and the abolition of the VAT exemption of up to €150 no later than 2026.”