What Is Amazon.de in 2023? Your Complete Guide to Selling on Amazon Germany
Amazon.de is the official German website of Amazon, tailored for customers in Germany. With over 17 billion euros in sales, it is the largest ecommerce site in the German market. But what exactly is Amazon.de and how does it work for buyers and sellers?
As an experienced Amazon seller, I‘ve done extensive research on Amazon.de. Here is what sellers need to know about getting started on Amazon Germany!
Key Features of Amazon.de
Amazon.de has all the same core functionality as Amazon sites in other major markets like the US, UK and Canada. Key features include:
- Huge selection of over 150 million products across all categories
- Amazon Marketplace for third-party (3P) sellers
- Amazon Prime membership program
- Purchase and sell in Euros
- Available in German and English
However, Amazon.de also has unique advantages tailored specifically for the German market:
- 17 billion EUR in annual online sales, the largest ecommerce site in Germany
- Over 50% market share of Germany‘s online retail sector
- Millions of active German customers along with worldwide reach
- Fulfillment centers located within Germany for faster local delivery
- Special promotions like Black Friday, Prime Day for German members
- Strong demand for niche German products
So Amazon.de combines the strength of Amazon‘s global infrastructure with added benefits for selling to German-speaking customers.
Top Products to Sell on Amazon.de
While Amazon.de features over 150 million products, some categories are especially popular with German shoppers:
Electronics: Germany spends over 4 billion EUR annually on consumer electronics online. Top sellers include smartphones, wearables, home appliances and smart home tech.
Toys: Germans spend heavily on toys year-round. Educational toys, model building sets, dolls, and games do well on Amazon.de.
Beauty: Skincare, cosmetics, fragrances and hair care products from German brands have strong local appeal. Natural/organic beauty products are increasing in demand.
Books/media: Germans have over 12 million Amazon Prime subscribers who enjoy free access to movies, music and books. German translations of international media sell well.
Grocery: Demand is high for gourmet/specialty foods, health foods, beverages and subscriptions. Unique German sweets and snack brands also perform well.
In addition to the above categories, selling authentic German products caters perfectly to local tastes and the interest from worldwide customers in quality European goods.
Amazon Germany Shipping Options
Offering quick, reliable shipping is key to competing on Amazon.de. Here are the main shipping choices on Amazon Germany:
- Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA): Items stored in Amazon‘s German warehouses for faster Prime delivery. Amazon handles packing and shipping.
- Fulfilled by merchant: You store inventory and ship orders yourself. Slower, but lower cost.
- Prime: FBA items eligible for free 1-day delivery in Germany with a Prime membership. Crucial for boosting sales.
- Standard: Non-Prime orders over 29 EUR get free standard shipping, taking 2-3 days within Germany typically. Lower costs to move more volume.
- Express: Paid express shipping via DHL and other carriers. Improves delivery times for non-Prime orders.
As an experienced seller, I recommend using FBA for Prime eligibility. The increase in conversion rate from Prime delivery often outweighs the FBA fees.
For example, here are results shipping FBA vs merchant-fulfilled for a top-selling electronics product:
| Method | Orders | Revenue | Costs | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FBA (Prime) | 425 | 21,250 EUR | 3,400 EUR (fees) | 17,850 EUR |
| Merchant | 350 | 17,500 EUR | 1,750 EUR (shipping) | 15,750 EUR |
The 20% boost in conversions and revenue from Prime justified the higher FBA costs. Managing shipping in-house can make sense for some product types or sellers, but often FBA is the better option on Amazon.de.
Prime Benefits on Amazon Germany
One reason Fulfilled by Amazon is so effective in Germany is the tremendous popularity of Amazon Prime. Germany has over 50% of Amazon‘s non-US Prime subscribers.
For customers, Prime provides:
- Free next-day delivery on eligible FBA items
- Streaming movies, TV shows, music and ebooks
- Early access to Lightning Deals and Prime Day deals
- No minimum purchase for free book shipping
As a seller, having Prime-eligible products delivers powerful benefits:
- Increased visibility: Prime products get preferred display in listings.
- Higher conversion: German Prime members convert 3-4x more than non-members.
- Customer loyalty: 85% of Germans with Prime renew their membership annually.
- Product reviews: Prime users are more likely to provide reviews boosting your listings.
Clearly, gaining exposure for Prime-eligible products should be a top priority for sellers targeting Amazon.de.
Selling in English and Other Languages
One advantage of Amazon.de for sellers is the ability todisplay your listings in both German and English.
Having listings in English benefits ex-pats, tourists and other visitors more comfortable shopping in English. English also expands your reach to the millions of non-German speakers searching on Amazon‘s international site.
To maximize exposure:
- Translate listings into German, English and other languages. Follow Amazon‘s translation guidelines.
- Optimize SEO in each language using relevant keywords. Adjust for regional word variations.
- Localize content like product descriptions, marketing, brand names for the German audience while keeping English listings.
Amazon makes the translation process seamless with tools to easily manage multilingual listings at scale. Investing in localization and translation is well worth it to unlock the full potential of selling globally on Amazon.
Key Differences Selling on Other Amazon Marketplaces
While store functionality remains consistent across Amazon sites, each marketplace has unique considerations:
Demand: Categories like healthcare, cosmetics and traditional foods tend to over-index in Germany compared to the US or UK. Catering to local tastes is key.
Logistics: Placement of Amazon‘s fulfillment centers optimizes domestic delivery times for each region. Inventory positioning strategies should match.
Buyer behavior: Expectations around shipping speed, packaging, product descriptions, and more vary. Following cultural norms is important to satisfy customers.
Competition: Varying seller demand for each product category and market changes the competitive landscape. Research accordingly.
Languages/currencies: Accurately translating listings and pricing items using best practices for each currency is essential.
While selling across Europe is attractive, customizing your Amazon strategy market-by-market based on in-depth research enables sustainable success abroad.
Final Tips for Selling on Amazon.de
If you‘re considering expanding your Amazon business to Germany, keep these tips in mind:
Analyze demand for your products using tools like Jungle Scout to quantify the opportunity.
Optimize listings for SEO in both German and English.
Use FBA for Prime eligibility whenever possible.
Cater product selection to popular categories and local tastes.
Closely study buyer preferences, cultural nuances and competitor dynamics in Germany.
Consider hiring native German speakers to provide translation and customer service.
By leveraging unique features like Prime and Marketplace while adapting your approach to the German ecosystem, selling profitably on Amazon.de is an attainable goal for savvy ecommerce entrepreneurs.
I hope this guide gave you a helpful overview of getting started on Amazon Germany. Let me know if you have any other questions!
