Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Size & Forecast by Value and Volume Across 80+ KPIs - Databook Q4 2025 Update

Key Trends and Drivers

Cross-border discount platforms intensify price competition and trigger regulatory pushback

• Ultra-low-price cross-border marketplaces such as Temu, Shein, and AliExpress are gaining share across major European markets, especially in fashion, home, and small electronics. In France and the UK, regulators and media have highlighted their growing role in online fashion and general merchandise, often undercutting local players such as Zalando in Germany or Asos in the UK on price.
• These platforms increasingly behave like pan-European retailers rather than niche cross-border sites, running country-specific apps, localized logistics, and aggressive digital advertising, particularly in France, Germany, Spain, and the Nordics.
• Households under cost pressure are trading down to cheaper cross-border offers. At the same time, smartphone penetration and social media advertising make it easy for Temu and Shein to reach younger, price-sensitive shoppers. At the same time, EU policy has treated large marketplaces as systemic infrastructure: Shein and Temu are now designated "Very Large Online Platforms" under the Digital Services Act, subject to stricter risk-management and content obligations, and Brussels is preparing customs and consumer-protection reforms that would hold platforms responsible for unsafe or illegal imports rather than the end-consumer.
• In the near term, domestic fashion and general-merchandise players in markets such as Spain, Italy, and Central Europe should expect sustained price and promotional pressure in value segments as Chinese platforms continue to push for market share. However, regulatory tightening around product safety, data, waste, and customs, especially the proposal to remove the low-value VAT/customs exemption and make marketplaces liable for unsafe goods, is likely to raise operating and compliance costs for cross-border models, narrowing their cost advantage in the medium term.
• Overall, this trend is likely to intensify. Still, with more scrutiny, platforms that can demonstrate compliance and localized service will keep growing, while marginal players may pull back from smaller or higher-risk EU markets.

Social-commerce and creator-led selling move from pilots to scaled channels

• Social platforms are turning into transactional channels. TikTok Shop, already live in the UK, launched in France, Germany, and Italy in March 2025, onboarding retailers such as Carrefour in France and fashion player About You in Germany, as well as beauty brand Cosnova. In Germany, recent analysis suggests that TikTok Shop reached roughly 1 in 10 online shoppers within months of launch, putting it among the country's larger online retailers by traffic.
• In France, TikTok Shop is being positioned as "discovery ecommerce," with live streams and shoppable short videos becoming part of the marketing mix in beauty, fashion, and impulse food, alongside traditional marketplaces and retailer sites.
• Younger shoppers in countries like the UK, France, Germany, and Spain increasingly start product discovery inside social apps rather than search engines or retailer websites. Brands and retailers see social commerce as a way to turn influencer and creator content directly into sales, with measurable GMV instead of reach. Platforms are investing heavily in local infrastructure: TikTok is adding one-click payment in continental Europe, integrating local logistics partners, and recruiting domestic brands to reduce reliance on cross-border sellers.
• For categories such as beauty, fashion, consumer electronics, accessories, and niche food, social-commerce's share of online GMV is likely to rise fastest in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, diverting spend from retailers' own sites and incumbent marketplaces. However, regulatory scrutiny, especially around the protection of minors, advertising disclosures, and impulse buying, will constrain some growth levers. French lawmakers, for example, have already flagged TikTok Shop's implications for minors, and the EU's influence-marketing and DSA frameworks are tightening enforcement.
• Net effect: the trend should intensify but remain concentrated in specific categories and age groups, forcing large retailers and brands across Europe to decide whether social commerce is a core channel or an experimental one.

Instant payments and local wallets erode card dominance at checkout

• The EU's Instant Payments Regulation (IPR), in force since April 2024, requires euro-area payment providers to be able to receive instant euro credit transfers by early 2025 and send them by late 2025, with pricing no higher than standard credit transfers. This regulation accelerates the adoption of account-to-account (A2A) payments and strengthens domestic wallet schemes. In Sweden, Swish, an A2A mobile solution, is now widely used in ecommerce; Sweden's central bank and national commentators note its growing role in online payments and recent migration onto the ECB's instant payments infrastructure.
• In markets such as the Netherlands and Belgium, A2A wallets built on iDEAL and Payconiq rails are already dominant in online checkout; the European Payments Initiative is building on these to launch a broader euro-area wallet.
• Policymakers want more "European" control over retail payments and less dependence on global card schemes. The Council's adoption of instant-payment rules in early 2024 explicitly aims to improve competitiveness against non-European card networks. Merchants across Germany, Italy, Spain, and Eastern Europe are looking for lower-cost alternatives to cards as ecommerce penetration stabilises and fee sensitivity increases, while banks are investing in open-banking APIs and fraud tools that make A2A payments viable at scale.
• Expect "Pay by bank" and domestic wallets to become standard options on major retailer sites in euro-area markets, particularly for high-ticket purchases (travel, electronics) and repeat subscriptions, where lower fees matter most.
• Card networks will likely respond with bundled services (chargebacks, instalments, loyalty) to defend share, while PSPs shift their product roadmaps toward instant rails. For ecommerce leaders in France, Germany, Italy, and the Benelux, tender-mix management will become a more strategic lever in P&L. The trend should strengthen materially, but not eliminate cards; instead, Europe will move toward a mixed environment in which A2A grabs incremental share, especially in mature, banked markets like the Nordics, Benelux, and DACH.

Profitability and sustainability pressures reshape logistics, returns, and packaging

• Fashion and general-merchandise retailers are tightening returns economics. H&M, for example, now charges online customers a return fee in many European markets unless items are returned in-store; similar charges have been adopted or raised by peers such as Zara, Next, and others in the UK and continental Europe. In parallel, the EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), adopted in late 2024 and effective from 2026, will require all packaging placed on the EU market to be recyclable by 2030, introduce design-for-recycling criteria, and cap empty-space ratios for ecommerce parcels.
• Quick-commerce and rapid-grocery models are consolidating. After years of expansion, Getir is exiting all remaining European markets outside Turkey, contributing to a shake-out of standalone "10-minute grocery" players. At the same time, incumbents like Tesco and Carrefour are expanding their own rapid-delivery offers. Tesco's Whoosh service in the UK and Ireland now delivers full-basket grocery orders in as little as 20-60 minutes, while Carrefour Sprint in Italy promises 30-minute delivery through Glovo.
• High reverse logistics and last-mile costs, combined with labour and energy inflation, have put pressure on ecommerce margins in markets such as the UK, Germany, and the Nordics. Charging modest return fees and nudging shoppers toward in-store returns have become practical levers to limit waste and discourage serial returning, especially in fashion.
• Sustainability regulations are tightening: new EU rules on textile and food waste, extended producer responsibility schemes, and forthcoming PPWR obligations increase the cost of oversized packaging, underutilised transport capacity, and the landfilling of returns. For rapid grocery, the post-pandemic normalisation of demand has exposed structurally low margins in dark-store-only models, prompting exits or restructurings. In contrast, supermarket-anchored models with existing store networks and procurement scale are better positioned to absorb delivery costs.
• More retailers, especially in fashion, home, and specialty categories, are likely to introduce or increase online return fees, shorten returns windows, and promote click-and-collect. This will be visible first in the UK, Germany, the Nordics, and the Netherlands, then spread to Southern and Eastern Europe as competition allows. PPWR and related rules will push cross-border sellers and marketplaces to redesign packaging, consolidate shipments, and use more standardised, recyclable materials, with a particular impact on high-volume parcel flows into Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
• Rapid-delivery propositions will not disappear but will be recast as premium or membership-linked services run by large grocers, with standalone quick-commerce startups playing a smaller role. Overall, the trend toward more disciplined economics and tighter sustainability standards is set to continue, reducing some of the "free, unlimited" elements consumers became accustomed to over the last decade.

Competitive Landscape

Current State of the Market

• Europe's ecommerce landscape is characterised by a mix of large domestic retailers, multi-country marketplaces, and cross-border entrants reshaping competition. Western Europe, particularly the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, remains the most consolidated region, with established omnichannel retailers strengthening their online presence.
• Central and Eastern Europe is seeing faster retailer digitisation, led by grocers, electronics chains, and local marketplaces expanding their online operations. Competitive intensity has increased as platforms invest in faster fulfilment, broader assortment, and integrated payments and loyalty. At the same time, EU-level regulatory moves around consumer protection, platform accountability, and sustainability are influencing how major players operate and compete.

Key Players and New Entrants

• Amazon retains a leadership position in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. At the same time, national champions such as Zalando (Germany), Otto (Germany), Cdiscount (France), El Corte Inglés (Spain), Allegro (Poland), and Bol.com (Netherlands/Belgium) remain influential in their home markets. In groceries, players like Tesco, Carrefour, Ahold Delhaize, and E.Leclerc continue to scale omnichannel and rapid-delivery propositions.
• New entrants include low-priced cross-border platforms such as Temu and Shein, which have aggressively expanded across Western and Eastern Europe through app-led acquisitions and promotional pricing. TikTok Shop's rollout in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain has added a new commerce channel, intensifying competition in fashion, beauty, and impulse categories.

Recent Launches, Mergers, and Acquisitions

• Market consolidation continues, particularly in rapid grocery and last-mile delivery. Getir's withdrawal from major European countries in 2024-2025 accelerated rationalisation in quick commerce, benefitting supermarket-led services. Retailers are forming delivery partnerships with Carrefour and Glovo in Italy, Tesco is expanding Whoosh across the UK and Ireland, and Ahold Delhaize is strengthening third-party marketplace integrations. Fashion players across Europe have launched paid returns and revised fulfilment models, reshaping competitive cost structures. Marketplace partnerships with TikTok Shop have emerged in the UK, France, and Germany as retailers test new traffic and conversion channels.

This title is a bundled offering, combining the following 17 reports, covering 1,150+ tables and 1,600+ figures for the Ecommerce Market:

Report Scope

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Size and Growth Dynamics

• Gross Merchandise Value
• Gross Merchandise Volume
• Average Value per Transaction

Europe Social Commerce Market Size and Growth Dynamics

• Gross Merchandise Value
• Gross Merchandise Volume
• Average Value per Transaction

Europe Quick Commerce Market Size and Growth Dynamics

• Gross Merchandise Value
• Gross Merchandise Volume
• Average Value per Transaction

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Ecommerce Vertical

• Retail Shopping
• Travel & Hospitality
• Online Food Service
• Media & Entertainment
• Healthcare & Wellness
• Technology Products & Services
• Other

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Retail Shopping Category

• Clothing, Footwear & Accessories
• Health, Beauty & Personal Care
• Food & Beverage
• Appliances & Electronics
• Home Improvement
• Books, Music & Video
• Toys & Hobby
• Auto Parts & Accessories
• Other

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Retail Shopping Sales Channel

• Platform-to-Consumer
• Direct-to-Consumer
• Consumer-to-Consumer

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Travel & Hospitality Category

• Air Travel
• Train & Bus
• Taxi & Ride-Hailing
• Hotels & Resorts
• Other

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Travel and Hospitality Sales Channel

• Air Travel- Aggregator App
• Air Travel- Direct-to-Consumer
• Train & Bus- Aggregator App
• Train & Bus- Direct-to-Consumer
• Taxi & Ride-Hailing- Aggregator App
• Taxi & Ride-Hailing- Direct-to-Consumer
• Hotels & Resorts- Aggregator App
• Hotels & Resorts- Direct-to-Consumer
• Other- Aggregator App
• Other- Direct-to-Consumer

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Online Food Service Sales Channel

• Aggregator App
• Direct-to-Consumer

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Media & Entertainment Sales Channel

• Streaming Services
• Movies & Events
• Theme Parks & Gaming
• Other

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Engagement Model

• Website-Based
• Live Streaming

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Location

• Cross-Border
• Domestic

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Device

• Mobile
• Desktop

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Operating System

• iOS / macOS
• Android
• Other Operating Systems

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by City Tier

• Tier 1
• Tier 2
• Tier 3

Europe B2C Ecommerce Market Segmentation by Payment Instrument

• Credit Card
• Debit Card
• Bank Transfer
• Prepaid Card
• Digital & Mobile Wallet
• Other Digital Payment
• Cash

Europe B2C Ecommerce Consumer Demographics & Behaviour

• Market Share by Age Group
• Market Share by Income Level
• Market Share by Gender

Europe B2C Ecommerce User Statistics & Ratios

• Internet Users
• Ecommerce Users
• Social Media Users
• Smartphone Penetration
• Banked Population
• Ecommerce Per Capita
• GDP Per Capita
• Ecommerce as % of GDP
• Cart Abandonment Rate
• Product Retun Rate

Europe B2C Ecommerce Operational Metrics by Ecommerce Segment

• Gross Merchandise Value by Segment

Europe B2C Ecommerce Operational Metrics by Retail Shopping Category

• Gross Merchandise Value by Category

Europe B2C Ecommerce Operational Metrics by Sales Channel

• Gross Merchandise Value by Channel

Europe B2C Ecommerce Operational Metrics by Location

• Gross Merchandise Value by Location

Europe B2C Ecommerce Operational Metrics by Device

• Gross Merchandise Value by Device

Europe B2C Ecommerce Operational Metrics by Operating System

• Gross Merchandise Value by Operating System

Europe B2C Ecommerce Operational Metrics by City Tier

• Gross Merchandise Value by City Tier

Europe B2C Ecommerce Operational Metrics by Payment Instrument

• Gross Merchandise Value by Payment Instrument

Reasons to Buy

• Comprehensive Market Intelligence: Develop a complete understanding of the B2C ecommerce landscape in Europe with fundamental ecommerce metrics such as gross merchandise value, gross merchandise volume, and average value per transaction across all major ecommerce segments.
• Granular Segmentation and Cross-Analysis: Analyse the online retail ecosystem through detailed segmentation covering ecommerce segments, retail product categories, travel and hospitality verticals, media and entertainment services, sales channels, devices, operating systems, cities, and payment instruments, enabling deep insight into evolving consumer shopping patterns.
• Operational and Performance Benchmarking: Benchmark marketplaces, direct-to-consumer platforms, aggregators, and category-focused players using KPIs such as GMV share, category-level performance, channel efficiency, device contribution, and payment mode penetration, supporting comparative assessment of platform strengths and competitive positioning.
• Consumer Behavior and Ecosystem Readiness: Understand how demographics, income groups, gender mix, device usage, and payment preferences shape online purchasing decisions, influencing category demand, cart abandonment behavior, product return tendencies, and the shift toward digital-first commerce.
• Data-Driven Forecasts and KPI Tracking: Access a structured dataset of 80+ ecommerce KPIs with historical and forecast values up to 2029, providing clarity on growth drivers, category expansion, sales-channel transitions, and payment-instrument evolution across the B2C ecommerce value chain.
• Decision-Ready Databook Format: Delivered in a standardized, analytics-friendly databook format aligned with financial modeling requirements, enabling ecommerce companies, consumer brands, payment providers, technology firms, and investors to conduct evidence-based market assessment and strategic planning.