uptain released its E-Commerce Marktstudie 2026, drawing on anonymised real-time data from over 3,000 German online shops and more than 30 million users covering Q3 2023 to Q4 2025.
Here are some of its key findings...
Big shops scaled, while small shops shrunk
Shops with annual revenue above €1 million grew 7.6%, while those under €50,000 contracted 12.3%. Mid-sized segments are close to flat: shops between €50,000 and €100,000 grew 1.7%, those between €250,000 and €500,000 fell 0.4%, and the €100,000–€250,000 band saw the steepest mid-tier decline at -2.4%.
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According to uptain, the trend reflects a market reshaped by larger domestic players and international entrants such as Temu and Shein. Rising ad costs and the scale advantages of dominant platforms compound the pressure on smaller operators.
Home and living gain, tech and trend categories fall
Category-level data shows a two-speed market. Home furniture led the panel with 14.0% revenue growth, followed by bedding (+12.9%), lighting and specialty/DIY retail (+12.4% each), and electrical appliances (+9.8%).
At the other end, 3D printers fell 12.2%, e-scooters 10.6%, and travel luggage 8.5%. Car accessories declined 6.8% and CBD products 4.4%. uptain reads the split as price-led consumer behaviour for trend and commodity items shifting to international platforms, while specialised home and quality-driven categories hold their ground.
Order values rise, but it's likely due to price increases
Median order value moved from €85 in Q3 2023 down to €75–€76 through 2024, before climbing back to €83 in Q4 2025. Set against falling overall revenue, uptain attributes the recovery to price rises rather than stronger demand.
Shopify leads the platform stack
On shop systems, Shopify holds 31.7% of the German market, ahead of domestic platforms Shopware (25.7%) and JTL (14%). Together the three account for over 70% of the panel. PlentyMarkets (8.8%) and WooCommerce (6.2%) follow, with all other systems below 3% and in-house builds at 2.7%.
The full study is available at uptain.de.
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