Describes how widely e-commerce is used, the primary sectors that sell through e-commerce, and how much product/service in each sector is sold through e-commerce versus brick-and-mortar retail. Includes what a company needs to know to take advantage of e-commerce in the local market and , reputable, prominent B2B websites.
Last Published: 7/9/2019

Austrian ranks 10th among EU countries in internet use at 85% of the population according to the 2019 European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index.  Of these almost 7.5 million users, 69% (almost 5.2 million users) shop on-line with leading purchase categories of clothing/sporting goods, travel, publications/ebooks, and household items.  eCommerce firm consulting firm eshopworld.com estimates that the average Austrian spends almost $900 per year in on-line purchases, resulting in $4.68 billion in total Austrian on-line purchases in 2018.  Growing Austrian on-line shopping trends include use of smart phones and on-line purchases with local pick up points that save on shipping cost and allow convenient pick up times.  

In Austria, the preferred means of payments for online shopping are bank transfers (31%), followed closely by credit cards (30%). The leading on-line retail markets in Austria, according to Statista.com for 2018, are: amazon.de ($809 million), zalando.at ($361 million), universal.at ($161 million), ottoversand.at ($79 million), shop-apotheke.at ($85.3 million), apple.com ($72 million), mediamarkt.at ($66.4 million), electronic4you.at (64.2 million), e-tec.at ($62.9 million), and hm.com ($62 million).

Austria’s transportation infrastructure is sophisticated, thus allowing for ease of delivery including in rural regions where one-third of
the population lives.  Major international logistics firms have bases in Austria. In 2018 Amazon opened a fulfilment center near Vienna.   

The Austrian Retail Association (Handelsverband https://www.handelsverband.at/) offers services and events to encourage e-Commerce growth, including an annual eCommerce Day most recently held in June 2019.

Advancing a Digital Single Market is a priority of the European Commission with the aim of creating a single market for trade and innovation freely with reduced barriers or regulations, as well as to transform public services towards an e-government approach.

Relevant internet use background and data can be found for the EU and by country, with Austria-specific data in the EC Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2019 at: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/scoreboard/austria  

Data Privacy under the guidelines of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and VAT considerations should be examined when establishing a eCommerce sales channel for Austria.  The EU’s VAT system is semi-harmonized.  While the guidelines are set out at the EU level, the implementation of VAT policy is the prerogative of Member States. The EU VAT Directive allows Member States to apply a minimum 15% VAT rate, with some exceptions. 

For details on the GDPR and EU eCommerce Directives, please consult the U.S. Commercial European Union Country Commercial Guide and Commercial Service experts at the U.S. Mission to the EU.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.