In terms of ecommerce sales, the top 10 biggest online stores are cross-border international sellers. Some of them come from outside of Europe, while others, like Ikea, are based in Europe and have grown internationally.
List of the top 10 online stores in Europe
Based on online revenue in 2023, Amazon was able to rank first. The marketplace has dedicated online stores in many European countries, where it often is the dominant ecommerce company. Of course, the top 10 changes every year. This is the top 10 online stores in Europe, based on our own estimation:
| 1. Amazon | 53 billion euros |
| 2. Apple | 8.7 billion euros |
| 3. Shein | 8.4 billion euros |
| 4. Temu | 7.2 billion euros |
| 5. Ikea | 6.3 billion euros |
| 6. Otto | 4.2 billion euros |
| 7. H&M | 3.9 billion euros |
| 8. Trendyol | 3.4 billion euros |
| 9. Bol | 2.9 billion euros |
| 10. Zalando | 2.2 billion euros |
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More information about the ecommerce companies
The European ecommerce market is thus dominated by several companies that come from outside of the European Union, like US giants Amazon and Apple. Amazon is the dominant seller in several countries, like Germany and the United Kingdom.
Shein and Temu are also taking over Europe, with a growing market share. However, politicians in several countries in the EU are urging the European Commission to draw up stricter rules, as they feel Asian marketplaces like Temu and Alibaba are unfair competition to local players.
Below, we have listed some European companies that only sell online:
Otto
Otto is a German online marketplace. It sells clothing, furniture, as well as domestic electronic appliances, beauty items and more. After Amazon, it is the biggest online seller in Germany. Outside of Germany, the company is not that well-known. However, it is planning to open up the marketplace to European sellers soon.
Bol
This online marketplace is from the Netherlands, which started out as an online store selling books and DVDs. It is also active in Belgium. In 2023, Bol was still the most dominant seller on its program, though it has been investing in its partner seller program.
Trendyol
Trendyol is a Turkish online marketplace, which also offers its own delivery solution, food and grocery delivery and has its own digital wallet. It is considered as the biggest ecommerce platform in Turkey, and has over 30 million customers and more than 260 thousand sellers. In 2022, it launched in Germany. It now has offices in the Netherlands and Luxembourg as well.
Supermarkets in ecommerce
Looking at the top 10, you might be surprised to see that we did not include supermarkets. If you have any knowledge about ecommerce in Europe, you probably also know that several supermarkets have a large online market share as well. However, in the top 10 above we preferred to name companies that are able to sell a larger selection of products online.
Yet, we do think that these supermarkets deserve an honorable mention. Ecommerce in the United Kingdom is mostly dominated by local supermarkets, who have effectively achieved large market shares online. And in France, several hypermarkets are also listed in the top 10 online stores. In the Netherlands, supermarkets like Albert Heijn and Jumbo are usually listed in the top 100 online stores. Picnic is also from that country, which is an online only supermarket.
Below we have listed some supermarkets with a large online revenue:
| Sainsbury’s (UK) | 6.14 billion euros |
| Tesco (UK) | 5.97 billion euros |
| Asda (UK) | 4.78 billion euros |
| Argos (UK) | 3.88 billion euros |
| Ocado (UK) | 2.73 billion euros |
| Albert Heijn (NL) | 1.7 billion euros |
| Auchan (FR) | 1.36 billion euros |
| Picnic (NL) | 1.25 billion euros |
| Courses U (FR) | 1.21 billion euros |
| E. Leclerc (FR) | 1.06 billion euros |
Other major ecommerce companies in Europe
Some of the online retailers in the top 10 are well-known sellers in several countries across Europe or further abroad, such as H&M, Carrefour and Ikea. These are omnichannel sellers, as they also have brick-and-mortar stores.
But there are also ecommerce companies that are very well-known in their home market, but not that familiar among other European consumers. Take for example Wehkamp, a major Dutch online retailer that started as a mail-order company in 1952. Or Veepee, which is known in France and Belgium, but not in other countries.
Do you want to sell cross-border in Europe? It ain’t easy but with the right ecommerce software, online marketing channels and European fulfillment companies market leadership is surely possible.