European fashion e-commerce: what the latest market data reveals

How large is the European fashion e-commerce market?

The Europe online apparel market size was valued at 236.28 billion dollars in 2025, is anticipated to reach 255.77 billion dollars in 2026, and is projected to scale up to 455.33 billion dollars by 2034, registering a compound annual growth rate of 8.23 percent during the forecast period, according to Market Data Forecast. Fashion remains one of the largest and most resilient categories in Western European e-commerce, accounting for approximately 20 percent of online consumer spending across key markets, according to NIQ's report Decoding the Fashion E-commerce European Market in 2026.

The most frequently purchased goods online in 2024 were clothing (including sportswear), shoes and accessories, with 45 percent of people making these purchases in the previous 3 months, Eurostat reported in February 2025. Among recent online shoppers, 70 percent buy clothes, shoes or accessories, according to Ecommerce Europe data published in 2025.

Which European countries lead fashion e-commerce?

Germany was the top performer in the Europe market and accounted for a 24.6 percent in 2025, Market Data Forecast reported. The German Fashion E-Commerce Market generated an e-commerce revenue of 30,847 million dollars in 2025, reflecting an e-commerce growth rate of 5 to 10 percent compared to the previous year, according to data published in 2026.

Annual online fashion sales now exceed 50 billion pounds in the United Kingdom, GFS Deliver reported in 2026. The Italian Fashion E-Commerce Market generated an e-commerce revenue of 6,719 million dollars in 2025, reflecting an e-commerce growth rate of 5 to 10 percent compared to the previous year. Roughly 40 million Spaniards bought something online in 2025, up from 32 million in 2022, and 52 percent of Spanish consumers buy clothing online; 37 percent buy shoes, according to WAPI.

How fast is the market growing?

Across Europe, total e-commerce sales grew by 5 percent over the past year, compared with 3 percent growth for online fashion sales, NIQ reported in July 2026. The pattern suggests the category is entering a mature phase in Western markets where consumers are becoming more cautious and selective in what they are buying.

Growth rates vary by country and segment. Projections for 2026 see the e-commerce market trending toward a change of 5 to 10 percent in Germany. Projections for 2026 see the e-commerce market trending toward a change of 0 to 5 percent in Italy. The Italian fashion e-commerce market is growing at 12 to 15 percent annually, significantly above the European average, according to Osservatorio eCommerce B2C data reported in 2025.

What do consumers buy and where?

Product categories show distinct performance patterns. Sportswear remains one of the fastest-growing segments within European online fashion. According to the report, 71 percent of sportswear brands recorded growth during the past year, compared with 51 percent of fashion brands overall, NIQ found.

The report indicates that 83 percent of Europeans place orders with domestic sellers, and 33 percent with sellers from other European countries, according to Ecommerce Europe's 2024 benchmark report. In addition, 16 percent of customers said they had ordered from a seller whose nationality they did not know, and 20 percent had placed orders with sellers based outside the EU.

Western Europe (France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, and the Benelux countries) remained the driving force behind European e-commerce in 2024, according to the benchmark report, accounting for 64 percent of B2C online sales. Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece) ranked second, with 19 percent of overall turnover.

How does penetration vary across Europe?

The percentage of online buyers increased from 62 percent in 2015 to 78 percent in 2025, Eurostat reported. Among those internet users, 78 percent had bought or ordered something online in 2025.

Online penetration in fashion retail varies significantly by country. The Italian fashion e-commerce market is worth only 6.8 billion euros in 2025, with online penetration at 16 percent of total fashion retail, below the UK (32 percent), Germany (27 percent), and France (22 percent), according to data from Osservatorio eCommerce B2C at Politecnico di Milano.

Online fashion shopping penetration in the UK is among the highest in Europe, with nearly 30 percent of total fashion retail now online. The Italian Fashion E-Commerce Market reached an online share of 30 to 35 percent in 2025. The online share is expected to reach 30 to 35 percent in 2026.

What do McKinsey and industry experts forecast?

In its State of Fashion 2025 report, the consultancy firm McKinsey said European year on year growth would be 2 to 4 percent for non-luxury and 1 to 3 percent for luxury in 2025. In Europe, we expect fairly sluggish growth, and consumer confidence is quite low, McKinsey Senior Partner Gemma D'Auria said in a podcast published in 2024.

New in 2025 is the expectation the industry will benefit from falling inflation and increased tourism in Europe, the resilience of high-net-worth individuals in the United States and new growth engines in Asia, Business Monthly reported on the McKinsey State of Fashion 2025 findings.

The NIQ report analysed the behaviour of more than 2 million online shoppers across 10 European countries. The next phase of fashion e-commerce growth in Western Europe will be driven by shifting consumer attention and wallet share, with Gen Z shoppers, the rise of resale, and value-led platforms reshaping the market, the researchers concluded.

Researched and drafted with AI support, reviewed and released by the editorial team.

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