Top Online Stores in Europe: Leading eCommerce Retailers, Net Sales & Market Share

Top 20 Online Stores in Europe: Key Insights

• Amazon's Dominance:

  Amazon's German and UK stores lead Europe's top 20 online retailers, with a significant share of net sales, highlighting their major role in the eCommerce market.

• Global Variety:

  The top 20 online stores in Europe feature companies from the U.S., UK, Sweden, Germany, Turkey, and China, showing a diverse international presence.

• Competitive Market:

  Despite Amazon's strong position, there is a wide range of other retailers with notable market shares, indicating potential for competition and growth within the sector.

Amazon stores from Germany and the UK unsurprisingly dominate the top 20 online retailers in Europe, securing the first two spots. However, there's significant competition among other leading eCommerce sites.

Europe's online shopping market is diverse, featuring top retailers like IKEA, Shein, and Apple. But who holds the top spot in eCommerce net sales?

Top Online Stores in Europe: Amazon Stores Lead

As one of the largest regions in terms of eCommerce net sales, Europe is home to many big names in online shopping.

Among the top online stores in Europe, we see familiar faces:

• Amazon's German and UK domains take the top 2 spots with 2023 net revenues of US$18.69 and US$16.61 billion, respectively.

• Apple.com and shein.com follow with net revenues of US$9.36 billion and US$9.09 billion, respectively.

• Ikea.com, sainsbury.co.uk, tesco.com, amazon.fr, wildberries.ru, amazon.it, and otto.de make up the middle tier of the ranking.

• With net sales of approximately US$3 billion to US$4.2 billion each, hm.com, argos.co.uk, amazon.es, asda.com, nike.com, trendyol.com, zara.com, bol.com and ocado.com round out the list.

Let's take a closer look at the top 5 players in the ranking.

1. Amazon

Among the top 20 online stores in Europe, amazon.de comes on top with net sales of US$18.69 billion in 2023. The online store captures a significant 14.3% share in the top 20 online stores in Europe, while holding an impressive 10.1% share in the larger scope of the top 50 online stores.

Close behind is amazon.co.uk, with net sales of US$16.61 billion and a 12.7% share in the top 20, accounting for 9% of the top 50 market in Europe. Along with three other stores (.es, .fr, .it) on the list, Amazon stores in Europe's top 20 online shops account for nearly 40% of net sales.

2. Apple

The third position is occupied by apple.com with US$9.36 billion, representing a 7.1% share in the top 20 and 5.2% share in the top 50.

Apple's recent unveiling of the Vision Pro AR headset has a big potential in revolutionizing eCommerce by enhancing immersive shopping experiences through intuitive interaction methods. Additionally, iPhones continue to drive significant online sales, greatly influencing eCommerce trends.

The brand's strong reputation, valued at US$880.5 billion last year, underpins its market success. As Apple integrates advanced technology and maintains high consumer trust, it sets benchmarks in both innovation and brand value, solidifying its position in the global eCommerce scene.

3. Shein

Shein.com ranks fourth with US$9.09 billion in net sales, claiming similar top 20 and 50 shares to shein.com's, with US$9.36 billion in net sales.

Forecast to reach US$48 billion worldwide by 2024, Shein has seen explosive growth, jumping from US$2.5 billion in 2019 to US$13.8 billion in 2021. The company's success stems from its efficient large-scale automated test and re-order model, which rapidly introduces new styles, and a robust influencer marketing strategy. This approach resonates particularly well with Gen Z and Gen Y consumers, making Shein a dominant force in the fast fashion industry.

4. Ikea

Ikea.com comes next, recording US$6.78 billion in net sales and a 5% share in the top 20 online stores and 3.7% in the top 50.

Leveraging Augmented Reality (AR), IKEA's Place and Kreativ apps let customers visualize furniture in their homes, reducing product returns by 20%. Additionally, in Germany, Ikea.com is a major player, ranking second with US$1.2 billion in net sales in 2023, closely competing with amazon.de and otto.de.

5. Sainsbury

Sainsburys.co.uk follows with net sales of US$6.59 billion, maintaining a 5% share in the top 20 and 4.1% in the top 50.

As of 2023, the online store is the leading online supermarket worldwide, ahead of tesco.com. Despite a 5.4% decline in 2022, Sainsbury's dominance highlights its strong presence in the competitive UK online grocery market. The store focuses heavily on the grocery category, contributing to 58% of its sales.

Biggest Winners of 2023

Among the top 5 fastest-growing eCommerce stores, we see that many are European domains:

• The UK store of the Chinese Furniture & Homeware retailer Songmicshome ranks first, with an annual growth rate of 3,873% in 2023.

• Amazon's Belgium store is in second place, with a year-on-year growth rate of 702%. This means that it grew approximately 8 times its 2022 value in one year.

• While DKNY.com at #3 (608% growth) is an American online store, sephora.co.uk at #4 originates from the UK (556% growth).

• The Italian online pharmacy redcare.it rounds out the list with an annual growth rate of 478%.

Europe Online Shopping: Market Analysis 

When examining the top 20 online stores in Europe, it becomes evident that the market is predominantly influenced by companies hailing from a select number of countries.

• American technology giants have a strong foothold, notably with Amazon variants (.de, .uk, .es, .fr, .it) and Apple making the list. They are accompanied by Nike, another U.S. based retail giant.

• United Kingdom firms also maintain a strong presence, with supermarkets Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Asda, as well as Argos, Ocado, and ASOS representing the retail diversity of the country.

• Sweden contributes with IKEA and H&M, both of which have broad international reach.

• In addition, Otto from Germany, Trendyol from Turkey, and Shein from China round out the list, each representing the eCommerce strength of their respective countries.

This mix reflects not only regional powerhouses but also the global scope of online retail in Europe.

Amazon Market Share in Europe

Amazon's dominance in European eCommerce is unmistakable. In 2023, Amazon's GMV in Europe was 60% higher than the combined sales of the top 10 online marketplaces.

Amazon's European markets account for 24% of its global sellers, with the UK and Germany being the largest markets. These two countries contribute 8.4% and 7.7% of Amazon's total GMV, respectively.

In 2022, Amazon commanded 54% of the European digital retail media market, generating US$3.4 billion — almost 6.5 times more than eBay. Additionally, Amazon's lobbying expenses in the EU increased from half a million dollars in 2013 to US$4.5 million in 2023, highlighting its regulatory influence.

Sources: Nethansa, Statista, ECDB

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