The German government, along with Austria and other EU countries, plans to introduce tougher restrictions on such providers. The aim is to continue to penalize violators of applicable laws, such as selling unsafe products. There is also concern among consumers. According to a survey by the Cologne retail research institute IFH, 60 percent of those surveyed consider sites like Schein and Temu to be unsafe. Above all, higher income earners, men and people over 50 years of age express great reservations because they doubt the quality of the products they order.
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Werner Reinhardt, professor of marketing at the University of Cologne, sees this uncertainty as an opportunity for other providers. They can distinguish themselves by their high level of trust in Asian sites.
Although consumer focus on low prices continues to dominate the market, there are little signs of stabilization. According to industry studies, purchases are increasingly moving online and consumer uncertainty is gradually decreasing. Industry association BEVH reported slight market growth in online retail sales in the second quarter of 2023 for the first time in two years. However, hope remains cautious.
E-commerce has suffered from a legacy of pandemics. “The Corona years with closed brick-and-mortar stores gave a big boost to sales, and it’s only natural that growth can’t continue at this pace,” said HDE Managing Director Stephen Genth.
