Online sales in Germany fell by fifteen percent in the first quarter of 2023 with fashion trade including shoes particularly hard hit, new data has revealed.
The figures, which were released by the German federal association for e-commerce show that sales in the fashion segment fell over 20 percent from January to the end of March as online retail continues to experience high levels of volatility.
In the consumer survey “Interactive Retail in Germany,” 40,000 private individuals aged 14 and over were asked about their spending behavior in online and mail order business as well as their consumption of digital services.
While everyday goods was the best performing segment with just a three percent drop, a more detailed look at the individual product segments shows an even greater spread. Sales of jewellery and watches fell particularly sharply (29.9 percent) as did car and motorcycle accessories (-25.8 percent). Of all 20 product segments, online food retail (+3.7 percent) is the only order category in which sales remain stable.
“The list of political uncertainties not only remains long, more and more are being created. Online trading will therefore continue to consolidate this year. People are deferring purchases that are not urgently needed, such as fashion, jewellery and entertainment items. It looks better in ranges that are used for daily supplies or everyday domestic use,” said Martin Groß-Albenhausen, Deputy Managing Director at bevh.
As in the previous year, the online business of multichannel providers suffered the most, followed by online retailers with digital DNA. The slump in sales was lowest on marketplaces and among manufacturers with their own online direct sales. There was some good news however with news that sales of digital services including ticketing and holiday bookings continued on their recovery course, posting an year-on-year increase of 28.2 percent to EUR 2.4million.
