Austria, e-commerce and logistics

Austria presents a dynamic and promising environment for e-commerce businesses.

Read on to find out more about making it your next trading destination

Image of St. Charles’s Church in Vienna

Why Austria?

Situated in central Europe, Austria is part of the DACH region, which also consists of Switzerland and Germany. It has eight neighbouring countries, which is reflected in its diverse population and inclination towards cross-border shopping. Independently, Austria ranks as the 27th largest market for e-commerce across the world, according to eCommerce DB GmbH.1

Austria is recognised for its robust economy, with a GDP of $519,71 billion in 2023, projected to increase by 91.7 billion U.S. dollars (+16.95 percent) between 2024 and 2029.2 With a high internet penetration rate and a growing number of online shoppers, the market is well-primed for digital retail.3

  • 9.04 million people
    population
  • Online sales
    10.6 billion euros (April 2024) 4
  • 94%
    % of population using the internet

The e-commerce landscape

As with many other European countries, Austria’s e- commerce saw a major boon during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Austrian consumers were limited to shopping in person only at supermarkets and pharmacies.

The upward trend was reported to have dipped during the years post pandemic, with one e-commerce study published by the Austrian Retail Association, Handelsverband Österreich, reporting a 3% decrease in spend between May 2022 and April 2023. However, a recovery of the online market is expected to be seen in 2024.

At the same time the number of Austrians buying online continuously increases. According to the Austrian Institute for SME Research, a total number of 6.1 million Austrians, mostly 15 years old and above, made online purchases between May 2022 and April 2023. This represented a 5%.5

Opportunities

Austrian consumers appear to enjoy cross-border shopping. In one year, over half of all spending was made in foreign web shops. This trend is driven by the availability of a wider range of products and competitive prices.6

International trade thrives in Austria with major international e-commerce companies selling into Austria from their headquarters or hubs in larger nearby European markets. Amazon.de heads the list of top 10 Austrian e- commerce players in Austria. Other leading e-commerce companies are the German fashion platform Zalando.at, Ikea, apple.com and the German consumer electronics platform mediamarkt.at.

Austrian e-commerce sectors by market shares are divided as follows according to eCommerce DB GmbH: electronic (22.5%), hobby & leisure (20.5%), fashion (19.4%), furniture & homeware (13.7%), DIY (10%), care products (8.9%) and grocery (5%).7

Top online stores in Austria in 2023, by e-commerce net sales (in million U.S dollars)

E-commerce revenue in million U.S dollars

Logistics

Austria’s transportation infrastructure is sophisticated and allows for ease of delivery including in rural regions where one-third of the population lives. Major international logistics firms such as Gebrueder Weiss GmbH, LKW Walter Internationale Transport organisation AG and Cargo- Partner Group Holding AG have their headquarters in Austria.8

You can familiarise yourself with the weights and prices of sending a package to Austria using our helpful shipping rates chart

Keep in mind

All goods entering the EU are now subject to VAT, which eliminates the previous VAT exemption for low-value goods. The EC rules established an “Import One Stop Shop” (IOSS), where e-commerce vendors can streamline their VAT payment obligations for their sales throughout the EU. It allows easy VAT registration in EU and ensures that the correct amount of VAT will be paid to the Member State based on sales location. However, if you do not have an IOSS, SAMOS can still help you ship efficiently.

What our experts say:

“Austria offers ample opportunities for businesses to tap into a broad and varied customer base.”

Simon Perkins, Commercial Director, SAMOS

To find out more about how SAMOS can help you achieve fast and cost- effective deliveries to Austria get in touch today

1. https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/austria-ecommerce

2. https://ecommercegermany.com/blog/european-ecommerce-overview-austria

3. https://ecommercegermany.com/blog/european-ecommerce-overview-austria

4. https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-in-europe/ecommerce-in-austria/

5. https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/austria-ecommerce

6. https://ecommercegermany.com/blog/european-ecommerce-overview-austria

7. https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/austria-ecommerce

8. https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/austria-ecommerce