Online retail records slight increase in second quarter

According to the Salesforce Shopping Index, online retail increased by 3 percent in the second quarter of 2023 - in the previous quarter, the results were minus 4 percent. E-commerce in Europe is thus on course for growth, while the U.S. slipped into negative territory for the first time.

The figures at a glance:

• Germany (3 percent vs. -4 percent in Q1)
• France (3 percent vs. 1 percent in Q1)
• Spain (11 percent vs. 7 percent in Q1) posted strong gains.

In contrast, online sales in the U.S. slip into negative territory for the first time since the Salesforce Shopping Index began in 2014.

In terms of average spend per visit, Germany ($4.02 ) is also ahead of the U.S. ($3.80) and the U.K. ($2.66), and even more significantly ahead of European neighbor France ($1.41). 

"This quarter, for the first time in a long while, we see a positive development for online retail in Germany," says Nadine Wolanke, Sales Director Large Accounts and Retail Expert at Salesforce. 

"Customer loyalty is extremely important to continue to be successful online, as existing customers account for a large proportion of sales. According to our recent evaluations, sending a discount code was the most effective tactic for getting customers to visit a website in the first half of the year.

Source: www.internetworld.de