(10 December 2015) – In 2014, enterprises located in the European Union made 17% of their total turnover from electronic sales to other businesses or consumers, compared with 12% in 2008.
As in previous years, EU enterprises engaged more in e-purchases than in e-sales in 2014, with 40% having purchased online, while 19% made electronic sales during the same period.
Among the EU Member States in 2014, electronic purchases were made by more than half of enterprises in Austria (68%), the Czech Republic (56%), Germany (54%), Finland and the United Kingdom (both 51%), while for e-sales, the share was lower in every Member State. It however concerned at least a quarter of enterprises in Ireland (32%), Sweden (28%), Denmark and Germany (both 27%), Belgium (26%), the Czech Republic and the Netherlands (both 25%).
Regarding turnover generated from e-sales, Ireland was the Member State registering the highest share (37% of total turnover of enterprises), ahead of the Czech Republic (30%), Slovakia, Finland and the United Kingdom (all 21%).
Cross-border e-commerce within the EU accounted for more than 10% of enterprises in seven Member States: Ireland (where 17% of enterprises made electronic sales to another EU Member State in 2014), Belgium (14%), the Czech Republic (13%), Malta (12%), the Netherlands, Austria and Slovenia (all 11%).
The proportion of enterprises selling online to third countries was below 10% in every EU Member State, except Ireland (12%).