Federal statistics show that the number of people using the internet for private shopping or orders has grown by 30 percent since 2008. Thanks to higher employment rates, increasing wages, low inflation, low interest rates and a relatively low savings levels, the conditions for trade are currently excellent.

A survey among 1,200 companies by the Germany trade association, the Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE) shows a correspondingly positive atmosphere: a good third expect turnover growth, and with multichannel companies it is even three quarters. Growth drivers are still the large orderers: people who order something online at least ten times per year. That makes approximately 14.5 million Germans.

According to this, e-commerce growth should level-off at 10 percent by 2018. It currently lies at 19.3 percent globally. This prognosis includes both wares and services in B2C.

However, the end of the growth is foreseeable. The three to five years an even stronger concentration and consolidation processes will come. E-Commerce is maturing and despite current growth, has long been in the first great professionalisation phase, especially in better developed markets, such as Great Britain, Germany, and France. This can also be seen in internet use. Here in Germany this is declining slightly according to an online study by ARD/ZDF this year.