Austria’s e-commerce market: a guide to opportunities, key players, and consumer expectations

Austria, located at the heart of Europe, is one of the continent’s most interesting and mature e-commerce markets. Forecasts suggest its value will reach $11.5 billion by the end of 2024, a significant share of Europe’s online trade. Does this mean the market is already saturated? Not necessarily. It’s more a sign of stability, with substantial potential still untapped. Austrians show remarkable openness to cross-border shopping, which represents a major opportunity for well-prepared businesses.

The potential of Austrian e-commerce in numbers

Online retail now accounts for roughly 15% of Austria’s entire retail market, and the average resident spends about €1,760 a year shopping online. While growth has slowed somewhat in recent years, this is no cause for concern. It’s a natural effect of market saturation after the pandemic-driven boom, not a sign of recession. Austrian e-commerce has entered a mature phase, meaning sellers now need to compete on quality, not just price.

Where do Austrians prefer to shop?

The market has its clear leaders. The undisputed dominant player is Amazon.de, the German version of the platform, which fully serves the Austrian market. It’s often the first stop for shoppers looking for almost any kind of product.

Right behind it come the industry giants:

• Zalando is synonymous with fashion shopping.
• MediaMarkt and Saturn dominate the electronics segment.
• Traditional mail-order retailers such as Otto have successfully completed their digital transformation and maintain a strong position.

Importantly, many Austrians start their shopping journey on price comparison sites. The local platform Geizhals.at is a true institution in the country, and not being listed there can mean losing a significant share of potential customers.

What ends up in Austrians’ online shopping carts?

In 2024, fashion was the undisputed leading category, with spending reaching nearly €2.4 billion. Close behind came electronics (€1.3 billion) and furniture (€0.9 billion). Slightly more than half of all online purchases made by Austrians come from abroad. Germany is the key direction here — a shared language, cultural proximity, and the presence of the aforementioned Amazon make it a natural choice. When shopping abroad, Austrians are mainly looking for better prices and a wider range of products.

This openness to international shopping is a huge opportunity for Polish e-merchants who are increasingly looking toward foreign markets. More than half of them already sell internationally, with Germany — Austria’s neighbor — being a key direction.

Payments and delivery

Convenience and security are the two pillars behind Austrians’ checkout preferences. While credit card payments are available, they are not the leading method. As many as 77% of shoppers prefer digital wallets, with PayPal in the lead. However, the real phenomenon is deferred payments (BNPL – Buy Now, Pay Later), where Klarna is the market leader. Offering this payment method is now almost mandatory. The local EPS transfer system (EPS-Überweisung), Austria’s standard for fast online payments, also plays an important role.

Last-mile logistics

The national operator, Österreichische Post, handles more than half of all shipments, but there’s also room for global players such as DHL and DPD. Delivery within 2-3 days is the standard, though the ability to offer next-day delivery is becoming an increasingly important advantage in the fight for customers.

The country has close to 6,000 pickup points. Given the growing popularity of this delivery option, an intuitive map of drop-off and pickup points built into the checkout process can significantly improve the customer experience and boost conversion.

Details you can’t afford to ignore

Success in Austria depends on understanding nuances that go beyond pure sales. Although German is the official language, simply reusing content translated for the German market is a mistake. Austrians use many regionalisms, so-called Austriacisms, and appreciate it when a brand recognizes their cultural distinctiveness. Using the word Erdäpfel instead of Kartoffeln (potatoes), or Sackerl instead of Tüte (bag), are small gestures that build trust and show the company takes their market seriously.

Sustainability

For Austrians, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword. Nearly half of customers would like the option to choose an eco-friendly delivery option, and 64% would gladly choose a product packaged in environmentally friendly materials. Communicating sustainability efforts is therefore not just a branding exercise, but a response to real market expectations.

Returns and legal matters

In a market as mature as Austria’s, trust is currency. It is built through transparency and seamless after-sales service.

In Austria, returns are an integral part of the shopping process. In 2024, the share of buyers who returned at least one product rose to 42%. For 65% of customers, free returns should be the standard, and for 64%, a simple, understandable process is essential. Investing in returns automation tools is no longer a cost — it’s an investment in customer loyalty.

Impressum, AGB, and VAT

Austrian regulatory bodies are strict, and consumer law firmly protects buyers. Every online store must have:

• Impressum: a detailed page with company information, required by law.
• AGB (Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen): terms and conditions compliant with local regulations.
• VAT registration: once certain sales thresholds are exceeded (under the VAT-OSS procedure), registering for and settling VAT in Austria becomes mandatory.

How technology helps meet high demands

Entering a mature and demanding market like Austria is a true test of operational efficiency. Technology becomes the key tool for building a competitive edge — from controlling shipping processes to using digital maps of pickup points to meet customer expectations.

Key takeaways

• The Austrian e-commerce market is mature and stable, with a projected value of $11.5 billion by the end of 2024. It shows considerable openness to cross-border shopping, creating major opportunities. Competing on quality, not just price, is now essential.
• Austrian consumers prefer paying with digital wallets such as PayPal, as well as BNPL deferred payment methods (Klarna). More than half of online purchases come from abroad, where shoppers look for better prices and a wider selection — requiring efficient delivery.
• Success requires cultural adaptation, including the use of Austrian regionalisms and a presence on local price comparison sites like Geizhals.at. Sustainability is also becoming increasingly important; customers expect the option to choose eco-friendly delivery and packaging.
• Providing fast (2-3 day), flexible delivery, including access to pickup points, is essential. Equally important are transparent, free return processes and strict compliance with local legal requirements such as Impressum, AGB, and VAT registration.

Sources

1. https://ecommercedb.com/markets/at/all
2. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1001217/biggest-e-commerce-payment-brands-in-austria
3. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/08/29/2937848/0/en/Austria-Buy-Now-Pay-Later-Business-Report-2024-BNPL-Gross-Merchandise-Value-to-Reach-1-65-Billion-by-2029-from-888-4-Million-in-2023.html
4. https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-in-europe/ecommerce-in-austria/
5. https://www.ppro.com/insights/the-brand-new-ppro-payment-report-european-union/
6. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1379286/austria-cross-border-purchases-by-category
7. https://ecommercenews.eu/austrian-online-shoppers-mainly-buy-cross-border/
8. https://ecommercegermany.com/blog/european-ecommerce-overview-austria
9. https://international.post.ch/en/blog/ecommerce-austria
10. https://lastmileexperts.com/reports-subscriptions

Rafał Urbanek