As part of a WKO press conference, Dr Rainer Trefelik (Head of the Retail Division, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber), Iris Thalbauer (Head of the Retail Division, WKO), Professor Dr Christoph Teller and Dr Ernst Gittenberger (IHaM Institute for Retail, Sales and Marketing) presented key developments in online shopping in the EU with a special focus on online platforms from Asia on the Austrian market.

For the past year 2023, opposing trend lines can be seen. With online shopper numbers rising, online spending is falling - not only in Austria, but across the EU. After the boom in the coronavirus years, the share of online spending in total retail spending in Austria has levelled off at the pre-crisis level of 2019.

The current market dynamics are characterised by online shops/platforms from Asia. The rapid market penetration of Asian online platforms on the Austrian market is particularly evident in the case of Temu, with Shein being the most popular online shop from Asia for the youngest age cohort. Online platforms from Asia score highly with their huge selection of cheap products (especially ultra-fast fashion), while problems from the online shopper's perspective mainly relate to product quality and delivery delays, with Shein being the most popular online shop for the youngest age cohort.

We would like to thank Iris Thalbauer and Dr Rainer Trefelik for inviting us to the background press briefing at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the media representatives for their extensive coverage. The links to the online media reports can be found in the download area.