We explore the top 10 marketplaces in Europe, providing key information on market size and sales figures. We also take a quick look at the top five countries in Europe for eCommerce adoption.
Europe is a lucrative market for brands and retailers alike. And, like everywhere else, online marketplaces are the best way to reach European consumers.
In total, the ecommerce revenue in Europe is in excess of US$625 billion (€694 billion), and it’s still growing. Compared to countries like China and South Korea, where ecommerce already makes up 27.2% and 28% (respectively) of all retail sales, Europe still has some room to grow.
In Europe, ecommerce contributes between 10-15% of retail sales – about half of its potential. This translates to great growth possibilities, especially for brands that can differentiate themselves from the rest.
The big picture: marketplaces and online retail in Europe
The European region consists of 37 countries, including the 27 European Union (EU) countries, countries in the EEA and/or single market, and several other European countries which are neither EU or single market members.
The top 5 ecommerce-friendly European countries account for 86% of all online spending in Europe. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy alone contribute revenue of €598.1 billion, most of which is generated on marketplaces and other online platforms.
So, let’s start by zooming-in on these top 5 European countries, and see which online marketplaces are most popular, using visitor traffic as our guide.
The top 5 European countries for ecommerce
#1: The United Kingdom
With a population of 69 million, the UK had approximately 60 million ecommerce users in 2023, and this figure is still growing. The United Kingdom generates more than €254 billion in ecommerce revenue, with €129.5 billion coming from consumers. This relatively small, densely populated European country spends more on online purchases than any other, devoting 10.26% of its GDP to ecommerce.
The most popular marketplaces in the United Kingdom are:
Amazon
eBay
Etsy
Argos
#2: France
France had over 51 million ecommerce users in 2023. More than 5% of GDP goes towards ecommerce spending. Marketplaces and other channels generated annual revenue of €146.9 billion in 2022, this is expected to grow by 7.8% in 2023.
The most popular marketplaces in France are:
Amazon
Aliexpress
Cdiscount
eBay
#3: Germany
Seen as the economic powerhouse of Europe, Germany is the third-biggest ecommerce market in Europe. With 67.9 million online consumers, this European country is estimated to generate ecommerce revenue of €109 billion in 2023.
The most popular marketplaces in Germany are:
Amazon
eBay
Otto
Temu
#4: Spain
Although Southern Europe contributes less to the European ecommerce landscape, Spain is a powerful player. This country of 46 million people has 33.82 million ecommerce users. Combined they spent €32.8 billion online in 2023, much of it on marketplaces.
The most popular marketplaces in Spain are:
Amazon
El Corte Ingles
Aliexpress
Temu
#5: Italy
With a population of over 60 million Italy has a bigger potential market than Spain, but spends less online. However, it’s still in the top 5 countries in Europe, and online consumers spend proportionally more. There are 31.7 million ecommerce users in Italy, who spent some €45.9 billion online in 2022.
The most popular marketplaces in Italy are:
Amazon
Temu
Aliexpress
Etsy
The most popular marketplaces in Europe ranked
According to monthly visitor data, these are the top 10 European marketplaces. It gives an indication of the best marketplaces for brands and retailers to target, but visits don’t always translate to purchases. Here’s a list of the top marketplaces in Europe:
Top 10 marketplaces in Europe
Amazon
eBay
Zalando
Leroy Merlin
ASOS
Bol.com
OTTO
Kaufland.de
Emag
ManoMano
The top 10 European marketplaces – in detail
#1: Amazon
Category focus: All categories.
Special features: #1 marketplace in Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Spain.
Regions covered: All Europe.
OK - no surprises here. Amazon is a good starting point for expanding marketplace sales across Europe. It’s the most popular European marketplace, with 1.2 billion monthly visitors coming from the 5 largest countries alone. It has by far the biggest presence in Germany and the UK. Many consumers start their shopping journey by searching on Amazon, so it’s worth being there. More than 86 000 third-party sellers are active, and more than 2700 products are sold each minute on Amazon’s European marketplaces. Thanks to the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), multi-channel fulfillment (MCF) and Global Shipping programs, it’s easier to ship across all of Europe and beyond.
Learn more about selling on Amazon.
#2: eBay
Category focus: All categories
Special features: #1 marketplace in Italy and Spain, #2 marketplace in the UK and Germany.
Strongest in: All of Europe. Especially strong in UK, Germany, France, Italy, & Spain.
Consumers flock to eBay for good deals and a familiar shopping experience. This is one of the best online marketplaces for attracting a large customer base. More than 463 million people visit eBay every month, just from the 5 biggest markets. Most of these come from the UK (232.8 million), with 147.8 million from Germany, 46.9 million from Italy, 24.2 million from France, and 11.7 million from Spain.
Learn more about selling on eBay.
#3: Zalando
Category focus: Fashion.
Special features: #1 fashion marketplace in Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, and Germany.
Strongest in: Germany.
Zalando is the top European marketplace for Fashion, attracting more than 121 million visitors each month from its main markets. Germany and Poland contribute the largest portion of consumers, but the marketplace has a strong following in 17 other countries including France, Spain and Italy. This marketplace is based in Germany, but you can reach almost all of Europe with Zalando. 600 000+ items are on offer, from 2500+ brands. The Zalando website attracts more than 430 million views every month, over 80% via mobile.
Learn more about selling on Zalando.
#4: Leroy Merlin
Category focus: DIY, Home and Garden.
Special features: #1 Home and Garden marketplace in France and Spain.
Strongest in: France, Spain.
This is a popular European online marketplace with a strong focus on DIY and Home and Garden. It attracts some 57.9 million visitors from France, Spain, and Italy. Also has a strong presence in Russia, contributing an additional 37 million monthly visitors, taking the potential total to 94.9 million visitors.
Learn more about selling on Leroy Merlin.
#5: ASOS
Category focus: Fashion
Special features: #2 fashion website in UK, own marketplace launched in 2010.
Strongest in: UK, with sellers and customers around the world.
This UK-based fashion marketplace serves customers across Europe and around the world. More than 900 sellers (a.k.a. ‘boutiques’) are featured in the ASOS marketplace. This popular online marketplace attracts 82.8 million visitors each month.
Learn more about selling on ASOS.
#6: Bol.com
Category focus: All categories.
Special features: #1 online marketplace in The Netherlands.
Strongest in: The Netherlands, Belgium.
Bol.com is as familiar in The Netherlands as Amazon is in the US. Indeed, Amazon has struggled to dent Bol.com’s dominance in the Benelux region. It’s a perfect example of a local hero stepping in to fulfill the demands of consumers before Amazon’s global expansion. With 64.9 million visitors each month from The Netherlands and Belgium, this is definitely a key marketplace for this region.
Learn more about selling on Bol.com.
#7: OTTO
Category focus: All categories.
Special features: #3 ecommerce website in Germany.
Strongest in: Germany.
OTTO has a fond place in many German consumer’s hearts. It started out as a mail-order shoe retailer (with a paper catalog!), but made the move online in 1995. When OTTO launched its online marketplace (OTTO market) in 2020 a new frontier opened up for brands and retailers. More than 58.9 million visitors stop by OTTO each month. This online marketplace has over 11 million registered, active users and accepts up to 10 orders each second.
Learn more about selling on OTTO.
#8: Kaufland.de
Category focus: All categories.
Special features: 5000+ categories, #1 marketplace for Food and Drink in Germany.
Strongest in: Germany.
This popular European marketplace is much loved in its native Germany, attracting a total of 49.7 million visitors per month.
Learn more about selling on the Kaufland.de marketplace.
#9: Emag
Category focus: All categories.
Special features: #1 marketplace in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary.
Strongest in: Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria.
This marketplace is the best way to reach Eastern European countries, especially Romania. Over 45 million people visit the Emag marketplace each month, with 31.5 million coming from Romania alone.
Learn more about selling on Emag.
#10: ManoMano
Category focus: DIY, Home and Garden
Special features: #2 Home and Garden marketplace in France
Strongest in: France
This French marketplace has gained a following across the big 5 countries in Europe. Some 41 million people visit the ManoMano marketplace every month; 17.9 million come from France, 8.3 million from Italy, 8.3 million from Germany, 5.1 million from Spain, and 3.1 million from the UK.
Learn more about selling on ManoMano.
+ BONUS: Temu, the newcomer
This marketplace was founded in 2022, and is based in the USA. However, since its launch it has expanded rapidly. Temu currently gets 97.3 million visitors per month from Italy, Spain, Germany and The UK. As it has only recently appeared on the scene, it’s hard to know if it will gain a ranking in the top 10, but based on recent data it could steal the #4 position from LeRoy Merlin – so watch this space!
How to start selling on online marketplaces in Europe
Selling on marketplaces is the easiest way to reach millions of new consumers, but it takes the right expertise to ensure that your full potential is realized.
Careful research is important, as each marketplace and country has its strengths and weaknesses. You also need the right software to provide you with the tools you need to set your brand up for success.
At ChannelEngine, we’ve developed powerful marketplace integration software that makes it easier for brands and retailers to manage channels all over Europe. As well as our extensive range of marketplace integrations, ChannelEngine helps ecommerce managers simplify their ecommerce operations by providing a single dashboard to connect all your back end systems.
Why not find out how ChannelEngine can help you to expand onto new marketplaces? Schedule a call with one of our marketplace experts!
