Southern Europe Loves Cross-Border Ecommerce

This article is published in collaboration with Statista

by Katharina Buchholz

More than half of consumers in the Euro area now use Chinese online platforms. Survey data from the European Central Bank show that in April 2026, exactly 51.7 percent of respondents said they used these providers to purchase goods from overseas. Chinese e-commerce platforms have thus firmly established themselves within the European retail landscape.

Providers like Temu, AliExpress or clothing retailer Shein enjoy particular popularity in Southern Europe. Greece leads the way in usage at 79 percent, followed by Portugal and Spain. In contrast, these figures are somewhat lower in other EU countries like France at 43.4 percent or Germany at 40.1 percent.

The success of Asian e-commerce platforms is noticeably intensifying competitive pressure in the European retail sector. Aggressive pricing strategies and direct shipping are increasingly squeezing margins for domestic retailers. The cross-border e-commerce trend is poised to further fuel the political debate regarding stricter import controls within the European Union.

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