The boom in online trading has probably stopped for now. For the first time in more than a decade, retail-related spending on domestic e-commerce is expected to decline in 2022. Handelsverband and Kreutzer, Fischer & Partner expect a real decrease of three percent to 8.5 billion euros. Many internet retailers are still experiencing delivery delays and supplier outages. Nearly two-thirds expect delivery bottlenecks in the Christmas business.
“It is quite normal that after two years of booming online commerce, it either stops for a year or goes down again,” says Harald Gutschi, vice president of the trade association and general manager of the Unito/Otto Group. Thursday press conference. For 2023, he expects online growth of five to eight percent and revenue “well above pre-pandemic levels”.
Continued high package volume expected
Swiss Post expects parcel volumes this year to be at last year’s level. “In the last two years of the pandemic, our parcel volumes have increased by 40 percent to 184 million parcels due to the lockdown. The figures have now stabilized at a high level,” says Peter Umundum, Director Parcel & Logistics at Österreichische Post AG.
Clothing, electronics and furniture coveted
In particular, clothing and other textiles, electrical appliances, furniture and decorations are ordered online in this country. Handelsverband and Kreutzer, Fischer & Partner only expect substantial gains this year in stocks in the health, body care and cosmetics sectors. There should be a moderate increase in electrical appliances and IT, as well as printing. On the other hand, the online business of fashion and sporting goods is declining.
The discount battle around Black Friday (November 25) and Cyber Monday (November 28) is also increasingly making an appearance in Austria. In a survey by industry associations, more than three-quarters of respondents indicate that they use these special shopping days to buy their first Christmas presents. The interest group estimates the national trade turnover on these days at around 450 million euros. The lion’s share is implemented in online retail. “When it comes to delivery delays, the following applies to customers: who buys early, buys well,” advises Rainer Will, director of Handelsverband.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
