E‑commerce in Austria
Austria’s e‑commerce market is dynamic, internationally oriented and growing continuously. Consumers expect a wide range of payment methods, prefer convenient home delivery and attach great importance to smooth returns processes. International platforms such as Amazon and Zalando continue to dominate – at the same time, regional marketplaces and sustainable concepts are becoming noticeably more relevant.
The Austrian market at a glance
Purchasing power
At around EUR 29,266 per capita, purchasing power in Austria will rank sixth in the EU in 2024 – significantly ahead of Germany. This makes the country one of the markets with the highest purchasing power in Europe.
Purchasing power is relatively evenly distributed regionally: Lower Austria leads the field with EUR 30,707 per capita, while Vienna brings up the rear with EUR 27,328.
This means that Austria is not only geographically close to online retailers, but also economically attractive.
Internet use and consumer behavior
Austria is a lucrative market with a high digital affinity:
- 95.3% of the population is online – that’s around 8.7 million potential customers
- 97% of them shop online – preferably for fashion, shoes and beauty products
- Mobile commerce is becoming increasingly popular – especially among young shoppers in the fashion and electronics sector
- 75% buy from foreign stores – Germany is the clear favourite
Preferred payment methods
The Austrian market offers a variety of checkout options – purchase on account remains the leader, but digital payment options are catching up fast:
- Invoice: 27%
- E-wallets (e.g. PayPal): 26%
- Credit card: 19%
- Online bank transfer: 9%
- Debit card: 6%
- SEPA direct debit: 4%
Most popular marketplaces and shops
International platforms continue to dominate e‑commerce in Austria – at the same time, local providers and sustainable alternatives are becoming noticeably more relevant:
- As a generalist, Amazon remains a permanent fixture in online retail.
- willhaben.at is one of the most frequently used platforms for classified ads.
- Zalando.at is one of the leading stores in the fashion sector
- ikea.com scores with a strong range of furniture and living products.
- universal.at covers a wide range of products.
- shop-apotheke.at is particularly well established in the drugstore and pharmacy sector.
- bestsecret.at offers exclusive brand fashion for registered members.
Regional platforms such as Shöpping.at, Beeanco and Markta are also gaining in importance.
Last-mile carriers and delivery preferences
Those who meet customer expectations in terms of reliability and clarity secure decisive competitive advantages in the Austrian market.
- Delivery preference: Home delivery in the evening is the most popular
- Delivery time: 63% of Austrians expect delivery in 2-3 days – 4% expect next-day deliver
- Transparency: Clear information on shipping costs and delivery times is mandatory
- Most popular logistics service providers: Austrian Post clearly in the lead with 59%
Returns
- Return rate: 42% of online shoppers in Austria returned at least one order in 2024
- Every fifth item is returned.
- Free return shipping is a purchasing decision for 35% of Austrian consumers.
- Returns are preferably processed via Post (AT), parcel stores and home collection.
Clear tax regulations apply to sales to Austria:
Taxes play a central role in cross‑border e‑commerce. The following requirements apply to sales to Austria:
- Delivery threshold: Starting from an annual turnover of EUR 10,000 to other EU countries, VAT is due in the respective destination country – this includes Austria.
- OSS procedure (One-Stop-Shop): Companies can use the OSS to report and pay their EU-wide turnover centrally via the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) – without the need for separate registrations in each individual country.
With exporto, your tax data is integrated into the shipping process and we take care of the correct preparation and transmission of the OSS declarations for you.
All services from a single source
From customer-friendly delivery options to seamless returns management to real-time tracking and data-based analyses — exporto combines all services for your international growth in one end-to-end solution.
Fast delivery
Offer your customers in Europe an outstanding customer experience—with the shortest processing times, individual shipping options for each destination country and deliveries by the most popular last-mile carriers.
Seamless integration
Thanks to simple API integration, our services fit seamlessly into your existing set-up—flexibly, individually and with minimal technical effort.
Full transparency
With the help of an intuitive dashboard, you can keep an eye on the status of your international shipments in real time—with automated data synchronization for maximum transparency.
Cross-Border
E-Commerce in
Europe
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Europe
With exporto, you reach customers in Europe’s key markets as easily as in Germany. Our shipping solution is operationally optimized for these core markets and is constantly being expanded – with a clear focus on stable processes, outstanding service quality and a compelling customer experience.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Austria
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Austria
Austria is considered a cross‑border insider tip: Foreign orders account for almost half of e‑commerce sales – one of the highest figures in Europe. With around 8.9 million inhabitants, high purchasing power, and virtually complete Internet coverage, this market offers ideal conditions, especially for German retailers.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Belgium
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Belgium
Belgium is one of the fastest-growing e‑commerce markets in Europe: in 2024, sales amounted to EUR 17.4 billion, up 6.7% on the previous year. 31% of orders are placed in foreign stores – a top 5 figure. Linguistic diversity and a central location make the market particularly attractive.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Switzerland
Cross-Border E-Commerce to Switzerland
Switzerland is one of the markets with the highest purchasing power in Europe – around three times the EU average. In 2023, online sales amounted to EUR 14.7 billion. The low VAT makes the market even more attractive – especially for EU retailers.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Germany
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Germany
Germany is one of Europe's largest e-commerce markets and a particularly attractive destination for international retailers: online shopping is frequent and routine, but German customers expect payment by invoice, reliable delivery and hassle-free returns. Those who deliver on this reach a large, active audience that bought €83.1 billion worth of goods online in 2025.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Denmark
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Denmark
Denmark is one of the most digitally advanced e‑commerce markets in Europe. The Danish population is tech-savvy and online growth is constantly at a high level. Danes attach particular importance to a convenient, mobile and sustainable shopping experience.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Finland
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Finland
Finland is the smallest Nordic e‑commerce market, but has a high cross‑border affinity. The country tops the EU digitalisation index, with around 80% buying online every month. Germany is one of the top delivery countries – 42% of online shoppers order there regularly.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
France
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to France
France is one of Europe’s largest e‑commerce markets – digitally savvy, high in purchasing power and highly attractive for international retailers, with more than 64 million online shoppers. Online revenue rose to over €175 billion in 2024, driven by strong demand in fashion, cosmetics and home & living. For German retailers, France offers a strong, established environment for scalable cross‑border growth.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Italy
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Italy
For German retailers, Italy is attractive on two counts: a large, high-purchasing-power market with growing online demand and, at the same time, one of the lowest return rates in Europe, well below the German level. As the EU's third-largest consumer market, it offers reach with noticeably less returns effort.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Norway
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Norway
Norway is one of the strongest economic markets in Europe. E‑commerce is growing constantly – international online shops are particularly popular. Norwegian customers attach great importance to reliable shipping, customs and returns processes. The simplified customs procedure VOEC offers attractive conditions – if the requirements are met.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Netherlands
Cross-Border E-Commerce to Netherlands
With around 18 million digitally savvy inhabitants and an e‑commerce volume of EUR 34.7 billion (2023), the Netherlands is one of the most dynamic online markets in E urope. As a logistics hub with strong purchasing power, the market offers ideal conditions for cross‑border sales.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Poland
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Poland
Poland is the largest e-commerce market in Central and Eastern Europe and keeps growing fast. Trade here runs heavily through marketplaces: in 2024, 86% of Poles made at least one marketplace purchase, led by local player Allegro with 38.8% of online retail, while Amazon reaches just 3.9%.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
Sweden
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to Sweden
Sweden is Scandinavia’s largest e‑commerce market: digitally savvy, fast-growing and open to international retailers. Around 89% of consumers buy online every month – flexible delivery options such as pick-up stations are particularly popular.
Explore marketCross-Border
E-Commerce in
UK
Cross-Border E‑Commerce to UK
With online sales of around EUR 152 billion, the UK is the largest e‑commerce market in Europe. Demand remains high despite Brexit. This new level of complexity offers obvious opportunities for retailers with optimised processes.
Explore marketPartner who complement our solution in the Austrian market
VDS Fulfillment
VDS Fulfillment offers tailor-made eCommerce logistics solutions centrally from the heart of Germany: fulfilment, personalisation, shipping of advertising materials - all from a single source.
Learn more
FineCom
FineCom is your fulfilment partner for e-commerce, returns & value-added services - personal, innovative & with a real hands-on mentality.
Learn more
Contcept Communication
Contcept Communication is a communications agency based in Zurich and Lausanne. We make companies visible with PR, influencer marketing and social media.
Learn more
B+S Logistik
B+S GmbH Logistik und Dienstleistungen, based in Borgholzhausen, is a full-service provider for customised logistics and service concepts.
Learn more
byrd
byrd gives e-commerce brands access to a European logistics network that enables them to scale efficiently and significantly improve their customer experience.
Learn more
Mollie
Simple payments and financial management for all companies: online payments, POS payments, recurring payments, invoicing, platform payments within Europe.
Learn more
OTE
As an experienced Microsoft partner, we deliver well thought-out ERP solutions based on Dynamics 365 Business Central. We specialise in the retail and e-commerce business for food and fashion retailers.
Learn more
PlentyONE
PlentyONE connects brands, manufacturers, and retailers to over 150 marketplaces worldwide – seamlessly, automatically, and flexibly scalable.
Learn more
T4DT
T4DT GmbH develops smart software solutions and optimises business processes with a focus on automation and artificial intelligence
Learn more
VCE Solutions
With our shipping platform, we ensure automated and transparent shipping and returns processing in e-commerce and retail. VCE GmbH | Innovative team. Smart solutions.
Learn more
Xentral
Cloud ERP for retailers: Automates central processes, integrated via interfaces & API. Adapts exactly to your processes thanks to Workflow Builder.
Learn moreWe are looking forward to hearing from you!
With our end‑to‑end solution, you get all services from a single source: Logistics, tax, customs and software. Everything is perfectly coordinated and as simple as “plug & play”.
Marvin Schwarz
Sr. Business Development Representative
