Cross-Border E‑Commerce in Italy
Italy is the EU's third-largest consumer market after Germany and France. Around 59 million inhabitants, purchasing power above the European average and a continuously growing online market make the country a relevant target market for German e-commerce companies.
The italian market at a glance
Purchasing power above the European average
With purchasing power of 21,952 Euro per capita, Italy is around 8% above the European average of 20,291 Euro. Within the country there are marked regional differences: purchasing power is highest in northern Italy, reaching up to 30,414 Euro per capita in the top province of Bolzano.
A growing e-commerce market
Italy's B2C e-commerce reached 62.3 billion Euro in 2025, up 7% year on year. Around 40 billion Euro came from products and a further 22.3 billion Euro from services.
- Online shoppers: 35.2 million, around 1.5 million more than the year before
- Fastest-growing categories: Beauty and Pharma (+10%), Food and Grocery (+7%)
Most popular payment methods
89% of Italian online purchases are paid at the time of ordering. The most used methods are:
- Digital wallets (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay): 30.8%
- Credit cards: 26.4%
- Prepaid cards: 23.6%
Prepaid cards remain comparatively important in Italy. Buy now, pay later is gaining relevance: in 2025 its transaction volume reached 9.9 billion Euro, 45% more than the previous year.
Key online marketplaces
The online marketplaces with the widest reach in Italy:
- Amazon.it: the clear leader, broad assortment across all categories
- eBay.it: strong in electronics, spare parts and second-hand goods
- Temu and AliExpress: international platforms focused on low-priced goods from Asia
- Etsy: specialised in handmade and individual products
Delivery and carriers
Home delivery remains the preferred option in Italy while parcel shops and lockers are gaining importance. By revenue, market share is spread across several large parcel services:
- Amazon: 20.3%
- Poste Italiane: 18.0%
- BRT: 15.9%
- DHL: 12.4%
- UPS: 11.1%
- GLS: 10.6%
It is also decisive that the delivery options offered at checkout match customer expectations: if the preferred option is missing, 81% of consumers abandon the purchase.
Returns
By European comparison Italy has one of the lowest return rates. In online fashion, the category with the most returns, the rate is 14.7% which is the lowest among the major European markets. For comparison, the European average is around 42%.
VAT
Once a company's relevant cross-border B2C sales within the EU exceed the combined annual threshold of 10,000 Euro, the VAT of the respective destination country generally applies. Reporting and payment can be handled centrally through the Union One-Stop-Shop.
- Standard rate: 22%
- Reduced rates: 10%, 5% or 4%, for example on certain foods, medicines and books
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.
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