ByMatthieu Guinebault
Translated byNicola Mira
Published September 25, 2026Reading time4 minutes
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Europe’s B2C e-tail <a href="https://bitcomme.com/beth-hiatt-on-why-<a href="https://bitcomme.com/bofa-battles-for-talent-as-business-banker-hiring-surges/” title=”BofA battles for talent as business banker hiring surges”>business-context-decides-ai-trust/” title=”Beth Hiatt on Why Business Context Decides AI Trust”>business worth €911 billion in 2025, up 7%
ByMatthieu Guinebault
Translated byNicola Mira
Published
September 25, 2026
In 2025, the B2C e-tail business in Europe was worth €911 billion in revenues, up 7% in nominal terms and 4% when adjusted for inflation, according to the Ecommerce Europe association’s annual report.
In the report, Ecommerce Europe sounded a warning against the competitive distortion caused by non-EU e-tailers, and lamented regulatory burdens, while noting that 77% of Europeans aged between 16 and 74 now make online purchases, and the retail and wholesale sectors in Europe employ 26 million people across five million companies.
In fiscal 2026, cross-border and intra-national B2C e-tail revenue in Europe is expected to reach €961 billion, equivalent to a 5% nominal increase and a 3% one in real terms. For the 27 EU countries alone, aggregate e-tail revenue is set to be worth €757.3 billion, up 6%, and e-tail’s share of Europe’s GDP is forecast to reach 3.77%.
“The report shows that e-tail in Europe grew substantially last year,” said Luca Cassetti, secretary general of Ecommerce Europe. The association has once again asked for a unified procedure to deploy the EU’s Extended Producer Responsibility rules, and for a streamlined application of the EU’s digital services regulations, in order to slash the compliance costs that are eroding the operating margin of European companies, faced with the steamroller progress of non-European players.
Western Europe was confirmed as the driving force of the continent’s e-tail business, accounting for 57% of Europe’s overall B2C revenue, bolstered by a 96% internet penetration figure and an 84% share of the population aged 16-74 buying goods online in 2025. In the region, Ireland led in terms of diffusion with a 95% share of the population aged 16-74 buying online and 100% internet penetration, followed by the UK with a 92% share of online shoppers, and the Netherlands with a 94% one. In the latter country, 3.5 million parcels arrived daily from outside the EU.
The share of the population aged 16-74 that bought online was 80% in Luxembourg and France, 81% in Germany and 79% in Belgium. Western European players are adapting to new customs regulations, and German retailers must also cope with the state-of-the-art pricing imposed by their delivery operators.
Northern Europe accounted for 8% of European B2C e-tail revenue, and posted the continent’s highest share of the population aged 16-74 which bought online at 85%, with 98% internet connectivity. Norway and Iceland led the way in digitisation with shares of online shoppers at 93%, ahead of Denmark at 91% and Sweden at 89%. Finland recorded an 82% share of its population aged 16-74 buying online, in a market that received 69.3 million e-commerce parcels in 2025, 40.5 million of which were shipped from outside the EU. In the Baltic countries, the share of population aged 16-74 buying online was 77% in Estonia, followed by Latvia with 70% and Lithuania with 65%.
Central, Eastern and Southern Europe
Central Europe accounted for 10% of Europe’s online trade, with revenue up 5%, a 74% share of its population aged 16-74 buying online, and a 93% internet penetration figure. Unsurprisingly, Switzerland stood out with an 86% share of online shoppers, ahead of the Czech Republic with 84% and Slovakia with 79%. The Czech market has invested heavily in last-mile deliveries by deploying 15,000 automated lockers. In Austria, the share of population aged 16-74 buying online was 73%, in a market under pressure that delivered 320 million e-commerce parcels in 2025, including 100 million from China. The online buyers share was 68% in Hungary, 67% in Slovenia and 70% in Poland, which estimated it suffered an annual loss of between PLN6.5 billion and PLN8.8 billion (€1.5 billion to €2.1 billion) caused by foreign third-party vendors.
Eastern Europe had the smallest regional share of Europe’s e-tail revenue in 2025, at 3%. Sales were up 5%, though they were held back by only a 60% share of population aged 16-74 buying online, despite 88% internet penetration. Ukraine and Croatia led the region with online shoppers’ share of 67% and 62%, respectively. Serbia also posted a 62% share, followed by Romania at 60% and North Macedonia at 56%. The delivery ecosystem in Romania is reorganising, with local vendors relying on out-of-home collection points to hold their own against international platforms. Elsewhere in the region, the share of population aged 16-74 buying online was 51% in Bulgaria, 50% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 45% in Montenegro, 41% in Albania and 29% in Moldova.
Southern Europe generated a 22% share of Europe’s total B2C e-tail business in 2025, notably recording the highest real growth rate on the continent at 8%. This despite only a 63% share of population aged 16-74 buying online, with 92% internet penetration. Spain and Malta both had the highest share of online shoppers in the region at 71%, well ahead of Portugal at 61%. Greece, where island geography requires a logistics organisation more focused on collection points, had a 68% share of online shoppers. In Italy, the share of population aged 16-74 buying online was 56%, as the country is currently strengthening its compliance requirements. In Cyprus, the share of population aged 16-74 buying online was 63% in 2025.
