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Retail and Wholesale Trade

Due to structural changes, globalisation and digitalisation (e-commerce, m-commerce), trade is subject to constant change. The Austrian Institute for SME Research takes these developments into account by continuously monitoring the business cycle, the structure and economic situation in the retail sector. Many of these analyses are based on the business cycle survey of Austrian retailers carried out by the Institute since 2000.

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Selected Projects

Yearbook Retail Trade

Contact

Zur Publikation

Structural analysis in stationary retail 2022

The annual structural analysis comprised data and facts on the status quo, the development of business data, the sales area and concentration tendencies of retail in Austria.

On behalf of

Austrian Federal Economic Chamber

Completed

2022/12

Contact

Karin Gavac, Wolfgang Ziniel

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E-Commerce Study Austria 2022

The 13th edition of the “E-Commerce-Report Austria 2022” analyses the shopping behaviour of the Austrian population regarding classic mail-order business as well as internet retail-trade.

On behalf of

Austrian Retail Association / Handelsverband Österreich

Completed

2022/06

Contact

Wolfgang Ziniel

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Structural analysis in stationary retail 2023 – 2025

Each year, KMU Forschung Austria analyzes the structure of brick-and-mortar retail in Austria on behalf of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce—Trade Division. The 2023–2025 Structural Analysis of Brick-and-Mortar Retail focuses on trends in the number of stores and sales area, as well as on concentration trends.

On behalf of

Austrian Federal Economic Chamber

Contact

Wolfgang Ziniel, Karin Gavac

Mehr Info

Your Contact Persons

Karin Gavac

Senior Researcher
k.gavac@kmuforschung.ac.at
+43 1 505 97 61 - 28

Wolfgang Ziniel

Senior Researcher
w.ziniel@kmuforschung.ac.at
+43 1 505 97 61 - 29
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E-commerce in Austria 2026

KMU Forschung Austria has produced the ‘E-commerce in Austria 2026’ study, which tracks and analyses consumer behaviour in distance selling. The results of the study show an e-commerce market volume of around € 12,3 billion (+3 % year-on-year). Around 13 % of…
Completed
2026/06
Mehr Info
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Food supplements: A market analysis of safety and quality (SafeNEM)

KMU Forschung Austria, led by Senior Researcher Wolfgang Ziniel, carried out the “SafeNEM” project and published an analysis of safety and quality in the food supplements market in 2026. The safety of food supplements in e-commerce is an increasingly important issue for…
Completed
2026/05
Mehr Info
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Structural analysis in stationary retail 2023 – 2025

Each year, KMU Forschung Austria analyzes the structure of brick-and-mortar retail in Austria on behalf of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce—Trade Division. The 2023–2025 Structural Analysis of Brick-and-Mortar Retail focuses on trends in the number of stores and sales area, as well…
Completed
2026/04
Mehr Info
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Local supply in Austria: The role of food retailers

The research team led by project manager Dr. Wolfgang Ziniel from KMU Forschung Austria has published a study on the importance of food retail for local supply in Austria. This study is based on a spatial and structural analysis of Austrian municipalities…
Completed
2025/10
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E-commerce in Austria in 2025: Distance selling will remain stable

The 16th study on consumer behavior in distance selling, commissioned by the Austrian Retail Association, analyzes the period from May 2024 to April 2025. Stable shopper base despite difficult economic situation Despite the current difficult economic conditions, the number of distance selling…
Completed
2025/06
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Retail Trade Yearbook 2025: Figures, Data, Facts

The Retail Trade Yearbook, compiled annually by KMU Forschung Austria, is the most comprehensive analysis of Austrian trade. It contains current figures on industry structure, sales, personnel development, and company profitability. The Retail Trade Yearbook 2025: A Strong Economic Sector Under Pressure…
Completed
2025/03
Mehr Info
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eCommerce Study Austria 2024

The 15th edition of the nationwide eCommerce Study Austria 2024 provides insights into consumer behavior in distance selling. It focuses on questions about online retail spending, ordering channels, product groups, payment methods and returns. The current edition also includes a ten-year comparison.…
Completed
2024/06
Mehr Info
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Retail Trade Yearbook 2024: Figures, Data, Facts

The 2024 Retail Trade Yearbook is the most comprehensive analysis of the Austrian retail sector. It provides data on the sector’s structure, trends in turnover and staffing levels and profitability. According to the new 2024 Retail Trade Yearbook, the Austrian retail sector…
Completed
2024/03
Mehr Info
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Business Analysis: The Retail Sector in Austria 2023

The Austrian retail sector faces numerous challenges: Inflation, rising costs (rents, energy, raw materials), supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, technological change and online competition. Customers expect personalised shopping experiences, fast deliveries and easy returns. Sustainability demands require adjustments, and skills shortages make…
Completed
2023/10
Mehr Info
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Online Study 2023 – Online Retailing in Austria

The study and the results of previous surveys show that it is no longer possible to imagine the retail trade without online trade. Fewer and fewer SMEs in the Austrian retail sector are able to escape the shift of retail to the…
Completed
2023/06
Mehr Info
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eCommerce Study 2023

The 14th edition of the nationwide "eCommerce Study Austria" shows unexpected inflation-related changes and a diametrical development in distance commerce: significant increases in the number of buyers meet with significantly declining per capita spending of -9%. For the first time this year,…
Completed
2023/06
Mehr Info
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Retail Trade Yearbook 2023: Figures, Data, Facts

The Retail Trade Yearbook 2023 provides the most comprehensive data analysis of Austrian retail trade and shows current figures on the industry structure, turnover and personnel development as well as the profitability of the companies. More Info
Completed
2023/03
Mehr Info
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Structural analysis in stationary retail 2022

The structural change in the stationary retail trade is visibly intensifying - most recently especially due to the consequences of the Corona pandemic and the consequences of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. The number of retail shops is continuously decreasing…
Completed
2022/12
More Info
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E-Commerce Study Austria 2022

The 13th edition of the “E-Commerce-Report Austria 2022” analyses the shopping behaviour of the Austrian population regarding classic mail-order business as well as internet retail-trade. The main indicators are the number of Austrians, who buy via distance selling, expenditures and the development…
Completed
2022/06
More Info
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Business cycle development in retail trade 2018

Austrian Institute for SME Research results of the business cycle survey on retail trade 2018 (available only in German)
Completed
2019/01
german report
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Internet-Einzelhandel 2018 (Online Retailing 2018)

The dynamic development in online retailing has continued in recent years. More and more consumers shop via the Internet and the number of online shops from Austrian retailers increases constantly. The Austrian Institute for SME Research carried out the study “Online Retailing 2018” on behalf…
Completed
2018/04
more information
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Austrian Entrepreneurial Index – Retail trade 2017

The Austrian Entrepreneurial Index (AEI) combines different aspects of self-employment and measures the satisfaction of entrepreneurs in an overall index consisting of 6 sub-indices with 35 sub-areas. First surveyed in a large-scale company survey in 2015, the satisfaction of around 480 retailers…
Completed
2018/02
german publication
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Einzelhandel – Quo vadis? (Retail trade – quo vadis?)

Completed
2016/12
Zur Publikation
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E-Commerce-Study Austria 2021

The 12th edition of the “E-Commerce-Study Austria 2021” analyses the shopping behaviour of the Austrian population regarding classic mail-order business as well as internet retail-trade. The main indicators are the number of Austrians, who buy via distance selling, expenditures and the development…
Completed
2021/07
MORE INFO
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Structural Analysis 2021 – Focus on the Stationary Retail Trade

Structural change in the stationary retail sector has left clear traces in recent years: The number of retail stores has declined, and concentration trends have increased. The sector mix has changed: Certain sectors are losing significant commercial space (e.g. clothing retail), while…
Completed
2021/12
more info
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E-Commerce study Austria (E-Commerce Studie Österreich)

The 11th edition of the “E-Commerce-Report Austria 2020” analyses the shopping behaviour of the Austrian population regarding classic mail-order business as well as internet retail-trade. The main indicators are the number of Austrians, who buy via distance selling, expenditures and the development…
Completed
2020/09
More Info
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Konjunkturentwicklung im Einzelhandel 2019 (Business cycle development in retail trade 2019)

Austrian Institute for SME Research results of the business cycle survey on retail trade 2018 (available only in German)
Completed
2020/01
german report
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Profits and Financial Situation in Retail Trade

The analysis of the economic situation in the Austrian retail sector carried out on behalf of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber - Retail Commerce shows a deterioration in earnings and an improvement in the financial situation for the current financial year 2017/18.
more info
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Strukturanalyse im stationären Einzelhandel 2019 (Structural Analysis of Retail 2019)

The structural analysis of stationary retail trade in Austria carried out annually on behalf of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber - Division Commerce shows a provisional halt to structural change for the analysis year 2018. Both the number of shops and the…
Completed
2019/06
more information
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E-Commerce-Studie Österreich 2019 (E-Commerce-Survey Austria 2019)

The 10th study on consumer behaviour in distance selling commissioned by the Austrian Handelsverband confirms the trends of recent years. Both the number of buyers and the expenditure in distance selling continue to rise in the current analysis period 2019 (May 2018…
Completed
2019/06
More Info
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Handelsrechner (trade calculator)

The trade calculator has been developed as a free online tool for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in trade, that allows companies to anonymously analyze their own annual financial statements simply and clearly and compare it with industry averages for SMEs. The evaluations…
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